One Piece: Endless Nightmare
by kilnorc
Summary: After finding a small group of people on the ocean, the Axe Heads find themselves in the bizarre Florian Triangle. It is here that nightmares and monsters come to life, and the crew must fight against an enemy that will not die. Rater M for gore and curse
1. Prologue

**Endless Nightmare**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.**

**Kilnorc: Okay, I HAD planned on getting some other stuff done before this, but I was chatting with Crazy-Fishie on messenger about ideas and what not...so here I am, all pumped for this thanks to our chat. If you don't like it, blame her. Also, I feel bad for not giving credit to where credit was due. The Ocean Dreamer's layout from the last fanfic is all the creation of Super-Nanny, so thanks to her, the Axe-Heads have an awesome ship!  
**

* * *

**Prologue**

The sun was high in the air as the _Ocean Dreamer_, the new ship of the Axe-Head Pirates sailed smoothly through the sea, heading for their new destination, Fish-Man Island. First, they had to go through the Shabondy Archipelago, where all sea-routes of the Grand Line connected, but to get through that, they'd have to pass through the dangerous and every mysterious Florian Triangle.

However, they had some time before they entered the hazardous area, and things were going so well already after such a short time after reaching their new ship. Thanks to Dusty, Devon and Kirsty were finally (and officially) married on the deck of the ship. It was a small, but wonderful ceremony, and everyone was glad to have the two together (and they were pretty sure the two of them were very glad to be together).

So now, with the marriage taken care of, the Axe-Heads were going about their normal routines on the ship. Surprisingly, a good handful of them were in the middle mast house. DJ, Devon, Kirsty, and Dusty were busy training, Devon doing weights, Kirsty practicing her martial arts and the other two working on agility and speed.

Down below deck, Azu was busy in his workshop while Axe and the others were in the dining room, having lunch. Well, the rest of the crew were eating lunch, Axe was trying to sneak extra helpings, but Pingu and Herman made sure he didn't do that.

"This is great food, thanks Herman!" Niri waved from the table, "I don't know what you're doing, but keep it up!"

"Thank you, Niri," Herman called from behind the counter, "But I'm just doing the usual stuff. If it tastes any different, it's because of the different foodstuffs and ingredients I got from Water 7,"

"Oh," Niri looked down at her meal, "Either way, this is fantastic!"

Axe rubbed the lumps he got from both the penguin and the chef, "So, Herman, tell us, what's this Archipelago like?"

The Fish-Man sighed and shook his head, "A collection of miniature islands connected by bridges. There are all sorts of zones and buildings there, and the people there," he clicked his tongue, "Not the nicest bunch,"

"What do you mean?"

"There's this group of people called _Tenryuubito_, who are the descendants of the people who established the World Government-,"

Axe began to cough loudly, making Chizuru to pat him on the back hard.

"Uhm...anyway, they pretty much rule the entire area. Pirates can come and go freely as they please, as long as they don't piss off the Nobles. If they do that, people say that an Admiral and an entire fleet of warships will come down on them,"

The coughing got louder, as did the smacks on his back.

"I'll wrap this up, because I don't wanna kill the captain over there," Herman cleared his throat, "There's an Auctioning House there and a large abundance of slaver gangs. Anyone and anything can be kidnapped, made into a slave for auction and sold to the Nobles. Depending on the race being sold there, the price is determined,"

"Oh, my God!"

"That's unpleasant,"

"You have no idea, but that's not all," Herman walked over and sat down at the table, "We, I mean the Fish-People and Merfolk, face severe discrimination. Our kinds, particularly a mer-person, fetch a high price on the market. Not only that, but we face such hate and stuff, we have to conceal the traits that make us different from humans,"

"Aw," Niri got up from her seat, walked over and gave Herman a hug, "Don't worry, buddy, we'll make sure to be careful when we get there. If those bastards come anywhere near you with the intent of selling ya or anything like that...!" she whipped out her pistol and spun it around her finger, "We'll show them!"

Herman sweatdropped, _I **just** said that she **shouldn't** mess with them..._

"GUYS! GUYS!" the sound of rapid thumps came from outside and Dusty burst into the room, tripping over something and falling flat on her face, "...ow...,"

Chizuru leaned down, "What's up, Dusty?"

The kitsune looked up, an excited look on her face, which had a large red spot from the floor contact, "We found something cool!"

* * *

"_This_ counts as something cool?"

The entire crew stood around a barrel that had been fished out of the ocean by the others. Water dripped from the ropes that surrounded the barrel, and they noticed a large banner on top of the barrel. It was black with red lettering, and from what they could figure out, whatever was in the barrel was an offering to the Sea God.

"Why the hell did you fish this out of the water, Dusty?" Niri rubbed her eyes, "_Why?_"

"I dunno, it looked like something we could use,"

"It's an offering to a Sea God, how the hell can we use it?!"

"I dunno...,"

Devon looked the barrel over, "I don't think we should mess with this, anyway," he knelt down and tapped the side of the barrel, as if checking to see if anything was inside, "If this is an offering to a God, we shouldn't use it for our own ends," he shook his head, "We'd get punished,"

"Speaking of Gods," DJ looked up at the sky, "I wonder whatever happened to those New World people who tried to take over Skypeia, you know, the Pantheon freaks?"

"I kicked their leader's ass, that's what happened," Devon snapped, "Don't compare those traitors to a God, okay?" he turned to Axe, "We need to get rid of this ASAP, boss,"

"If you say so," Axe cracked his knuckles and looked around, "Where do we throw it, or does it really matter?"

"I don't think it really-,"

"OH C'MON, LET'S JUST CRACK THIS SUCKER OPEN!"

"Dusty, don't-!"

It was too late.

Dusty had quickly removed the ropes ontop and threw open the lid of the barrel. Seconds later, a loud muffled sound was heard, followed by a bright white flash of light and she fell back onto her ass, yelping as she fell. Everyone watched as a plume of red smoke shot into the air and moments later, it seemed to explode and give off a strange, bright red light.

They all stared at it for a while, then they looked back at Dusty, who was laughing nervously and inching away.

"Looks like the kit just pissed off the Sea God...,"

"Mhm...,"

"We could die if it's real,"

"Probably,"

Dusty gulped and scooted back as the crew advanced on her, "G-Guys, c'mon! I couldn't help it, it was just too tempting to pass up, and-,"

"GET HER!!"

* * *

**Kilnorc: Yeah, short beginning, but good stuff about to come, I promise!**

**On the next chapter of Endless Nightmare...**

**Dusty: I said I was sorry!**

**Herman: Everyone! There's something coming this way! I can see people on it!**

**??: HELP! YOU GOTTA HELP US!**

**Kirsty: That's a nasty wound...how did he get it?**

**The Florian Triangle**

**Axe: I have a _baaaaaaaaaaaaad_ feeling about this...**


	2. The Florian Triangle

**The Florian Triangle**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. Jinko of the Dancing Blade belongs to Shidyk D. Shade, and Taeko and Isaac belong to Crazy-Fishie.**

* * *

"I said I was sorry!"

"No,"

"C'mon! Please?"

"No,"

"I promise, I won't touch anything!"

"No,"

"IS NO ALL YOU CAN SAY?!"

"No,"

Dusty held back a scream and kicked wildly out at Niri, who sat nearby on a chair, staring at her, who was tied to the front mast.

"It's your own fault, kit," Niri folded her arms, "_You're_ the one who opened that tribute to the Sea God barrel, and it'll be _your_ fault if we get killed by the God (if it exists), which is why if it does come up, I'll use _you_ as a sacrifice instead,"

"WHAT?!"

Herman walked over to Niri and handed her a small plate of chicken, "How goes the punishment?"

Niri took a bite of her meal, "Not too bad. She won't shut up though, it's driving me crazy," she looked up at her friend, "Any chance you can get some tape when you get back inside?"

"Er...,"

"Just kidding," Niri turned back to Dusty, who was now drooling at the sight of chicken, "You hungry?"

The kitsune nodded.

Niri stood up, walked over and stopped just inches from Dusty, "You are? Want some chicken?"

Again, she nodded.

"Okay, have some," Niri held out a piece of her chicken, only to pull it back when Dusty lunged out for it.

Dusty whined, "Niri mean...,"

Niri flicked her on the forehead, "And you're clueless, we all have our flaws. You can have some when the punishment is over, but until then, you just sit there and wait,"

"Aw...,"

* * *

"Azu! Oi, Azu, you in there?!"

Axe pounded on the door to **AZU'S WORKSHOP**, looking for his nakama.

"Azu, if you're in there, open up!"

The door swung open and a strange thing appeared in front of Axe.

It was Azu, but he looked very different than he usually did. He wore a pair of black pants with lots of leather straps, a black vest with gold trimming and instead of his head of red dreadlocks, he had what looked like a white mohawk.

"Sup, boss?"

Axe stared at his friend, "You went on a drinking binge again, didn't you?" he asked, pointing to the new look.

"Not that I can remember," Azu scratched his head, "I woke up from a nap and I had this fohawk,"

"I thought that was a mohawk?"

"It's a variation of it," Azu shrugged, "Don't ask me how I got it. Ever since I was little, I've been getting strange styles and color changes without realizing it. A mystery it is," he nodded, "Anyhoo, what'd you want?"

"I just wanted to thank you for the room you got me," Axe wrapped his arm around his neck and pulled him close, "Secret hatch that connects to the kitchen area...thank you so much!"

Azu sweatdropped, "It's not _that_ secret, Axe, people can see it from the table if they're in there,"

"...but still, thank you!"

_This guy needs to stop thinking with his stomach..._

"Everyone!" Herman shouted from above, his voice travelling down the stairs connecting levels, "There's something coming this way! I can see people on it!"

Axe ran to the stairs and looked up, "Is it a boat?!"

"It's a small one, but yeah! Also...you're gonna wanna see this!"

After running up the stairs and from other areas, the whole Axe-Head crew came to gather out on the deck, only to see something strange. The sky had become dark and very windy, thick black clouds covering the sky and fog floating above the water.

"What the hell is this?" Axe looked around, "When did we enter a storm?"

"It's not a storm, Captain," Chizuru walked up to him, "We've entered the Florian Triangle,"

"WHAT?! Already?! WHEN!?"

"It was a little while ago, I'll admit that even I was surprised at our rate of speed. I thought for sure we'd reach it by the evening, however...," she trailed off, "It became pretty windy and dark all of a sudden. Didn't you guys feel the ship rock a bit?"

"I was crashing," Azu stretched, "So, I didn't notice,"

Axe rubbed his eyes, "Okay, we've entered the Triangle ahead of schedule, we get _that_. Where's Herman, he said something about seeing a boat?"

"Over here!" Herman called from the front of the _Ocean Dreamer_, "Hurry up!"

A handful of the crew ran over to the front where Herman was peering out at the darkness ahead of them.

"Where is it, Herman?"

"Out there, I just saw it a minute ago...," Herman twisted his stalks around, "I counted at least two people on board...dammit, where are they?!"

"I'm surprised you can see anything, Red," Azu looked over the railing, "This fog's as thick as beer foam,"

"Don't you mean pea soup?"

"Shaddup,"

After a short time of looking around, they couldn't find any race of a boat.

"You sure you didn't imagine this, Herman?" Axe looked at his chef, "I heard the Florian Triangle plays tricks on a mind, and not only that, but it's got loads of old ghost ships whose crews are like gone forever after being lost for ages in here,"

Herman shook his head, "I'm telling you, Captain, I saw them!"

"Well, where-?"

"HELP! HELP! SOMEONE HELP!!" a voice screamed from the fog, making everyone turn their heads to the direction that it came from.

Herman crossed his arms and looked at his captain, "Still saying I imagined it?"

"HEY! YOU ON THE BOAT! HELP!" the voice screamed again, "HELP! YOU GOTTA HELP US!"

"Guys, I see 'em!" Azu pointed to a small dinghy that floated nearby, "Over there! Herman's right, I can see people on it!"

* * *

Herman was right, there were at least two people on board, but specifically, there were three people: two men and a woman. Out of the two men, only one looked normal with his blonde hair and glasses while the other one had short brown hair and strange tattoo-like markings under his eyes. The woman was unconscious, but she was a beauty with her long black, braided hair, dancer girl figure and she even wore an outfit that pretty much said dancer girl.

The tattooed man and the woman seemed fine for now, but the blonde man was something else. He seemed to be on the brink of consciousness, and he was holding a large, bloody wound on his side. Without wasting much time, DJ ushered him to the infirmary with Kirsty right behind him. Devon took the unconcious woman to the spare room downstairs to rest while the man with face markings was taken to the kitchen.

Once food and drink were placed in front of him, the man began to scarf and gulp everything in his sight down.

"Man, Axe, he eats like you and the others after a big fight...or just you on a normal basis," Niri commented.

Axe rolled his eyes and cleared his throat, "So, Mr...?"

"Taeko," the man said, his voice muffled a bit by food, "My name's Taeko, pal,"

"Alright, Taeko," Axe scratched his cheek, "What happened out there, you guys lose your way or your ship or-?"

Taeko swallowed the rest of his food and sat back, patting his stomach, "Oh God, that feels good. Go a while without food and you'll eat anything," he belched a little, "Good shit,"

* * *

On the other side of the ship, inside the infirmary, Kirsty had removed the blonde man's shirt to look at his wound. Luckily, he had passed out, but after making sure he was comfortable and numbed with proper medicine so not to feel the pain, Kirsty looked at the wound.

It was a disgusting looking wound. It looked as though he had gotten caught in a bear trap, but the radius seemed to big to match that, although the entry points of the wound seemed to match up with something sharp. Also, the whole wound was covered in blood, but parts of the wound seemed to have been cauterized.

_That's a nasty wound,_ she thought as she grabbed a pair of tweezers and a magnifying headset, _...how'd he get it?_

With the magnifying lenses over her eyes, Kirsty was able to find a small piece of something stuck in one of the holes in the man's flesh, take hold of it with the tweezers and gently pulled it out. She brought it up close and stared at it.

It was a triangle, made out of metal, like one would find in a bear trap, but there was something off about this. What it was, however, she couldn't be sure. Looking back at her patient, she was surprised to see some of the wound was already healing up, but at a slow rate.

She lifted her headset and looked at him, "Who or what are you, and what did you get into?"

* * *

Back in the dining room, the others were still talking to Taeko.

"The blondie is called Isaac, but I call 'em Doc," Taeko stretched, "He and I belong to the same pirate crew. We were on the edge of the Triangle when we saw a barrel floating in the water. We probably wouldn't have bothered with it, but that damn woman sent us to go get it and we fell overboard,"

"You two are pirates?"

"We belong to the Masque Pirates,"

_Masque Pirates...why does that sound famliar?_ Axe wondered, _I **know** I've heard their name before...but where?_

"Anyhoo, Doc and I went overboard and he is damn lucky that I was with him!"

"Why's that?"

"Because of his Devil Fruit, he lost all his swimming ability. If I wasn't there to keep his ass afloat, he would've drowned right there!" Taeko shook his head and leaned back in the chair, "Anyway, we came across an island and after we did, we both began to regret it!"

"Why's that?" Niri asked him, "Also, that woman with you? She a friend of yours?"

Taeko shook his head, "Barely know her. We just saw her in a situation not too diffferent from ours and well...," he shrugged, "Here we are,"

"I know who she is,"

They turned to Chizuru, who was staring at Taeko the entire time.

"Listen Cowgirl, you mind not staring?" Taeko snapped at her, "It's beginning to piss me off!"

"Very well," Chizuru nodded to him and turned to her nakama, "The woman is an assassin, she goes by the name of Jinko,"

"Wait a minute," Axe held up his hands, "Jinko of the Dancing Blade?!"

Chizuru nodded, "Bingo,"

Niri frowned, "Uhm...for those of us who don't know...?"

"Remember back with Aisa and the others?" Axe asked her, "She's a friend of Aisa and Shidyk! I remember the brat telling us about travelling with her and Shidyk before going back home! She has a bounty of 271,000,000 Beli!"

Niri whistled, "Guess she's good at her job, hm? Well, since she's a big-shot assassin," she rose from her chair, "I'm gonna go check on her and make sure she doesn't try to kill any of us,"

As Niri left, the others turned back to their conversation with Taeko.

* * *

In the infirmary, Kirsty was finishing up her work on Isaac. She had cleaned and dressed his wound, since it was healing impressively on it's own, she didn't feel the need to use her Devil Fruit ability to make him well. She threw away the bloody gloves and began to wash her equipment, looking back at her patient every now and then.

_What the hell happened to you?_

A loud crash and yelp from outside made Kirsty drop her things and bolt out of the room.

_That sounded like Niri!_

* * *

"I got a _baaaaaaaaad_ feeling about this," Axe muttered, rising up from his chair, "Chizuru, keep an eye on our guest,"

"Aye, Captain,"

Taeko rolled his eyes and put his hands behind his head, "I ain't doin' anythin',"

Axe opened the door to the dining room and walked out onto the deck. There, surrounded by most of his nakama, was Jinko. She looked a little disoriented, not at all pleased, and on full alert. Not a good combo for an assassin with a high bounty like hers. Axe knew they had to be careful, not just because of what she might do, but because she had Niri close to her, a sword-tip pointed right at her flesh.

Okay, we go from being tossed into a place where ships get lost, to getting a few guests, to one of my nakama taken hostage by an assassin... Axe grimaced, How can this get any worse?

"Everyone, just keep back, keep your hands where I can see 'em and I won't hurt her!" Jinko shouted, looking at the group, "Don't try anything, I mean it!"

"Alright, alright!" Axe slowly moved into her view, hands held outward, "Listen, we don't want any trouble, alright? Believe me, we don't want any trouble from an assassin,"

Jinko smiled, "Bounty hunters?"

"More like treasure hunters, though our symbol up there would deem us as pirates," Axe pointed to the flag above them, "We do know about you, Jinko, and that girl you have in your grip is a very good friend of mine, so let's just talk this out so no one has to get hurt here, alright?"

DJ gripped Raikiri, _She's on edge...are all assassin's like this, or just her because I don't remember that Shidyk guy being anything like this!_

"Jinko, we don't want trouble. In fact, we helped you out!" Axe continued, "We found you and two others, two guys, drifting on a boat not too long ago. One of them was hurt and he's resting in our infirmary at this very moment. We didn't see anything wrong with you, so we put you in our spare room to rest, and the last guy is in our kitchen," he jerked a thumb to the door to the side, "Believe me, we don't want to do anything bad to you guys, we just want to help...,"

Jinko stared into his eyes and he stared into hers as Niri tried to keep her cool about her current situation. After what seemed like an eternity, Jinko released Niri and sheathed her sword as the former Marine ran to safety.

"You want to help? Alright, you can help, but the problem I have is not going to be easy to fix,"

* * *

**Kilnorc: Awright, now it's gettin' interesting! I hope I captured the three OC's personalities right, I tried to make Jinko serious and alert even though she's usually much easier to be around, but given the situation...well, you'll see.  
**

**On the next chapter of Endless Nightmare...**

**Niri: She goes from that to an easy-going chick like that?!**

**Jinko: SO CUTE!!**

**Axe: The hell do you two mean that your shadows were stolen? How is that possible?**

**Isaac: BIRD! GET IT AWAY! GET IT AWAY!**

**Thriller Bark **

**Dusty: Uhm...okay, am I the only one seeing a spooky lookin' island?**


	3. Thriller Bark

**Thriller Bark**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece. Taeko and Isaac belong to Crazy-Fishie and Jinko of the Dancing Blade belongs to Shidyk D. Shade.  
**

* * *

After a little bit of a rough introduction, most of the crew gathered in the dining room with Jinko and Taeko, the two of them scarfing down food. Niri was amazed and disgusted that the male was eating so much (again) and even more surprised that a girl like Jinko could eat so much and keep in great shape.

"That stuff was great!" Jinko cried, a large grin on her face, "I've got to hand it to your chef, guys, he knows what he's doing!"

Herman chuckled and rubbed the back of his head, "Oh please, you flatter me, Miss Jinko,"

"Nah, just call me Jinko," she waved him off, "I prefer that, or Jin-chan, if you please,"

Niri stared, _I don't believe this woman! For an assassin, she's crazy! How can she change all of a sudden? she thought, flashing back to when she was held hostage by a cold, serious person, She can go from that to an easy going chick like that?!_

Axe scoffed, "I remember Aisa calling you that before,"

Jinko turned to him, blinking, "Aisa...," she leaned forward, "_You_ know Aisa-chan?"

Axe nodded.

"How-?"

"Just a sec. YO! AUSTIN! GUYS, GET IN HERE, AND MEET OUR GUESTS!" he shouted, making others wince at his voice's volume.

The dining room opened and Austin, Dusty and the rest of the crew entered the room. Jinko took one look at Dusty, Austin, Sora and Pingu before leaping from her chair and picking them all clean off the floor into a tight hug.

"_SO_ CUTE!!" she squealed, "YOU GUYS ARE ADORABLE!"

_Can't...breathe...!_ the four thought at once, _H...E...L...P!_

Jinko suddenly released the four and noticed Austin's special characteristics. She bent down behind him and tugged at his wings, "Wow, you're just like Aisa-chan!"

"He ain't the only one," Devon turned and jerked a thumb to his back, revealing his own pair, "See?"

"Wow...," she looked back at Austin and glomped him again, "You're so cute with those wings, you remind me so much of her!"

Chizuru turned to Devon, "Should we stop her in case she suffocates him from too much glomping?"

* * *

"So you're Samuel D. Axe, and these are the Axe-Heads?" Jinko looked around, "I_ thought_ you guys looked familar, I've been seeing bounty upgrades for all you for awhile now, along with certain friends of mine,"

"Like Shidyk?" Axe asked her.

Jinko smiled, "Among others," she looked closely at him, "So you're Axe, hm? You know, Shidyk-kun told me about your fight on Drum Island,"

Axe facefaulted, "Oh really...?" he muttered, not sounding happy, _With my luck, he probably called me a moron and said he kicked my ass!_

"Mhm, he said you were fun to fight, and hopes to have a rematch!"

"Really?!"

"No, he said you were an idiot and that he kicked your ass,"

Axe fell over, _I KNEW IT!_

"But he did say he wanted a rematch," Jinko giggled, "In all seriousness, I'm glad I managed to come across you guys," she turned to Taeko, "Thanks to you and your friend, by the way, Taeko-kun,"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, Braidy,"

"You're lucky that we managed to find you guys at all," Axe reached up and slapped Herman on the back, "Our nakama here was able to spot you, as well as bring you aboard the ship. All thanks should go to him,"

Herman rubbed the back of his head, "Captain, please, you're embarrassing me!"

"Where's my ship, by the way?"

Axe blinked, "I'm sorry?"

"My ship," Jinko repeated, "The thing we came here on, where is it?"

Taeko cleared his throat, "I don't know what you're talking about, but the boat _we_ came on was too small...it was pretty much a dinghy,"

"Then where's my ship?!"

"Probably back at that God-forsaken island!"

"YOU LEFT MY SHIP!?"

"YOU'RE DAMN LUCKY I SAVED YOUR ASS AT ALL, BRAIDY!" Taeko's voice began to rise, "YOU'RE ALSO LUCKY THAT WE MANAGED TO STAY IN THE TRIANGLE SINCE BOTH OUR SHADOWS GOT STOLEN, OTHERWISE WE'D BE NOTHING BUT VAPOR RIGHT NOW!"

_Shadows stolen?_ Axe whistled loudly, diverting the two arguing guests, "The hell do you two mean your shadows were stolen? How is that possible?"

Jinko shrugged, "I don't remember a lot, it happened a little too fast for me, but from what I remember, there was this big guy, and he just grabbed my shadow, used a huge pair of scissors and," she made a snipping motion, "Here I am,"

"Ditto," Taeko nodded, "Don't believe us, look at our feet,"

Everyone leaned to the side or looked under the table and sure enough, not one of their guests had a dark blob underneath their feet!

"Holy shit...,"

* * *

"BIRD! GET IT AWAY! GET IT AWAY!"

Taeko sweatdropped as Isaac came to and started to freak out at the sight of Pingu, who was just standing on his chest a few moments before, "Doc, you really need to get over that fear, it's kind of retarded,"

"Fear of birds, eh?" Kirsty struggled to keep Isaac calm while Pingu made his way out of the infirmary, "I can relate, my husband is afraid of spiders,"

"Arachnophobia, huh?" Taeko scratched his head, looking bored, "That's just_ fantastic_," he walked over and smacked Isaac over the head hard, "Snap outta it, Doc, the bird's gone,"

As if on command, Isaac went from a panicky patient to an annoyed looking man who was rubbing his head.

"Taeko, what the hell?" he looked around, "Where are we?"

"You're on the_ Ocean Dreamer_, ship of the Axe-Head Pirates. My name is Kirsty Chambers, and I'm the doctor here, and you're in the infirmary," Kirsty explained, also introducing herself, "It's okay, Isaac. Taeko here managed to save you guys from drifting all over the Florian Triangle,"

Isaac looked at her, then at Taeko, "So, we're not at-?"

Taeko shook his head.

Kirsty coughed a little, "Isaac, if you could, I'd like to ask you some questions, since Taeko hasn't been able to answer some of them,"

"Uh, sure," Isaac looked around, "Nice place, by the way,"

"Thank you. Now," Kirsty reached over and tapped the dressed wound, "That was a nasty-looking wound here. How on earth did you get it, fall into a bear trap?" she asked, going with her theory.

Isaac snorted, "I wish!" he winced and held his side, "Piece of advice, Miss Chambers, don't say 'Bite me' to a cannibal, he'll actually do it,"

"When the hell you get so polite with strangers, Doc?"

"Cannibal?!"

"Yes, and a big one, too," Isaac winced a litlte, "I'm glad I'm able to heal with ki, otherwise I'd be in worse shape than I already am,"

Heal with ki? That's interesting, I'll have to learn more about that... Kirsty reached over and grabbed a small glass bottle that held the metal triangle, "Isaac, I found this in your wound, do you have any idea what it is?"

Isaac took one look at it, "It's a tooth,"

"...say what?"

"A tooth, a metal tooth," Isaac repeated, "That cannibal had a mouth full of metal teeth,"

"Whoa...," Kirsty sat down on her stool, "Please, Isaac, if you could, tell me what happened regarding this cannibal that attacked you,"

Isaac glanced at Taeko.

"Already told them some of what happened, might as well tell them your side, Doc,"

"Alright," Isaac cleared his throat, "I had become separated from Taeko and I came across a group of people camping in a forest on the island. I _thought_ that they could help me, that they could show me the way off the place, but I was sadly mistaken. I'm not sure what I did, but they just attacked me! The biggest one out of the group, a fat cannibal with a set of metal jaws and a set of skulls around his body just tried to take a huge bite out of me!"

Kirsty stared.

A loud knocking came and Chizuru walked into the infirmary.

"Excuse me, but the Captain would like to speak to you two privately in his cabin. It's important,"

* * *

"What're they talking about?"

"I don't know, I can't hear anything!"

"Of course not, I sound-proofed the door,"

"Why'd you do that, Azu?!"

"Hey, he has a right to privacy, Dusty...sheesh,"

Niri, who was on her way to her room, noticed a handful of her nakama leaned up against Axe's door. She facefaulted and walked over, "Okay, you snoops, what're you doing?"

Dusty shh'ed her, "We're spying on Axe,"

"Why?"

"He's been talking to those three for a long time now and because it's fun, now be quiet, I'm trying to hear," Dusty smacked herself against the door, a fox ear pressed tightly against the door, "I'm not getting anything!"

"I just said I sound-proofed it!"

"Then why are you here with us?!"

"I get a good view from here,"

_SMACK_

Azu hit the ground, a large, red hand-mark on his face.

Niri sweatdropped, Bakas... she turned and started to head for the stairs, wanting to get up to her room when the ship suddenly rocked violently, throwing her to the ground.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS _THAT_?!"

"Guys, you might wanna get up here!"

Niri held her head, "What _now_...?!"

* * *

"What the hell is that?!"

"Holy crap!"

"They were tellin' the truth!"

Dusty gulped as she stared a huge island with a very large mansion partially hidden by the thick fog of the Florian Triangle. It had a stone wall on the outer perimeter and strange mechanical devices spotting the island.

"Uhm...okay," she turned to her nakama, looking very pale as she pointed ahead, "...am I the only one seeing a spooky lookin' island, here?" she squeaked.

The others shook their heads.

Niri scanned the island, taking in the sights, "What the hell is this place, where are we?"

"This place...,"

They turned to see Taeko, Isaac, Axe and Jinko standing behind them, all of them staring at the island.

Jinko pointed to the island, "This place...is called Thriller Bark, the Ghost Island,"

"WAAAAAAAAH! GHOST ISLAND?!" Dusty leapt onto DJ, clinging to him like a leech, "KEEP THEM AWAY, DJ-KUN!"

Herman sweatdropped, "Aren't you a Miko, can't you just purify ghosts?"

"Are you serious? A Ghost island?" Devon turned to Axe, who had a very serious look on his face, "Axe? What's up, dude?"

Axe walked by him and the others, his weapon strapped to his back and his belts of throwing axes seen underneath his long coat.

_He looks like he's ready to go into a fight_, Niri frowned, _What's going on?_

"Captain," Chizuru stepped forward, "What do we do?" she asked as the ship drew closer and closer to the island.

"I will go with these two," Axe jerked a thumb to Jinko and Taeko, "Azu will come with me and Isaac's gonna stay here, until he feels better to move around,"

Azu stretched and cracked his neck, "Dunno what you got planned, boss man, but I'm up for a little terra firma,"

The ship was guided towards a large docking area where a ship was already anchored. Jinko recognized it as her ship and was glad to see it, though Axe couldn't help but wonder why it was still there after everything he had heard from the trio of stranded travellers.

Axe turned to his crew as Taeko and Jinko disembarked. He looked at each one of them for a long while, "Everyone. There is something I have to do here. Chizuru, what time is it?"

"Early evening, Axe," she reported, "If we could see the sky, it'd be near sunset, but since the clouds and fog cover everything, we can't see a ray of light from the outside,"

"I see. Azu and I shouldn't be too long, but if we're not back by sunrise according to Chizuru, then I want you all to try your best to get the hell out of here,"

The crew stared at him, not understanding what he was saying.

"Watch yourselves, and don't leave the ship for any reason," Axe turned and waved, "Goodbye, everyone,"

With that, he jumped off the ship, landing alongside Jinko and Azu, Taeko having disappeared from the area already. Isaac looked down at the group and shook his head.

"He's insane, I'll give him that. Taeko, you watch yourself, alright? Don't get yourself killed,"

Azu looked back at the _Ocean Dreamer_ as he and the others made their way towards the inner area of the island, "Axe, what's going on?" he turned to Axe and he saw that Axe's look had gone from serious to extremely grave, "Boss?"

"Unfinished business, Azu," Axe glanced at him, "We're gonna settle some unfinished business,"

Azu stepped in front of him and looked right into his eyes. After a few moments, his eyes widened a bit, "Don't tell me that-,"

"Yeah," Axe sidestepped and began moving again, "_She's_ here...,"

"...shit...,"

"Yeah," Axe reached into his coat, pulled out a bottle of Black Rum and tossed it to his nakama, "I get the feeling you're gonna need that,"

"No kidding,"

* * *

A large bird flew through the dark sky of Thriller Bark, towards the manor in the distance. It flew into an open window and touched down on the floor before taking the form of a handsome man in black. He smoothed out his hair as a couple of figures stepped outinto the darkness.

"He's here," Damien Bran, also known as the Blood Raven, reported, "Axe is here,"

The smaller of the two figures giggled, "Greet him warmly,"

Damien bowed his head, "As you wish, Captain,"

* * *

**Kilnorc: Alright, not as mysterious as some of my other arcs have given about villains, but since I told everyone that this arc will have the crews clash at last, I had some difficulty writing this.**

**Axe: Why'd you tell them in the first place?**

**Kilnorc: I HAD TO TELL THEM! I COULDN'T KEEP IT TO MYSELF AND A SELECT FEW ANY LONGER!!**

**Axe: -backs away- Okay, okay, okay...you DO still have some surprises for the readers right?**

**Kilnorc: Oh, surprises up the yin-yang! But first, we gotta get there! PREVIEW! -clicks remote- Hehe...btw, hope I got Isaac right, I tried my best.  
**

**On the next chapter of the Endless Nightmare...**

**Dusty: What was up with Axe? He seemed all uptight, more than usual.**

**Niri: You two know something, don't you? **

**Herman: I don't care if the time limit's not here yet, I'm getting a horrible feeling about this.**

**Isaac: There are things on this island...things that shouldn't exist in this world!**

**Messenger  
**

**??: If you wish to see your friends, all you must do is follow me to the manor. They're waiting for you there.**


	4. Messenger

**Messenger**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece.**

**Kilnorc: Just to get this out of the way NOW, I will say this. The beginning of this arc takes place about two or three days before Straw-Hats come. Not exactly sure, but it seems to be in that area considering the Axe-Heads left town in the last fic ahead of the Straw-Hats.**

* * *

After Axe left the _Ocean Dreamer_, the female members of the crew decided to take a soak in their beloved hot tub in their bathroom. They all sat around the large tub in their swimsuits, enjoying the bubbling water as best they could, what with the thought of their captain acting strange, their guests somehow not having shadows...oh and the fact that a place called a Ghost Island was just outside their walls.

Dusty flicked some of the bubbling water out of boredom, "Lemme ask ya'll something,"

Her nakama turned to her.

"What was up with Axe?" she wondered, "He was all uptight, more than usual,"

Kirsty shrugged as Pingu floated by on a tiny tube, "I don't know. You think something happened in his cabin when he was talking to those three?"

"It's the logical explanation," Chizuru let her head fall back against the rim of the tub, "Something did happen in there, I know it,"

"Is that a gut feeling or is that due to your mind-reading?" Niri asked, casting a side-glance at her.

"Gut feeling," Chizuru said in a bored tone, "I haven't really used mind-reading in awhile on him. I've been inside his head once, I'd rather stay out as much as possible,"

Niri sighed, "Well, whatever's going on, he had Azu go with them. I can't stop thinking about what he said before they left...,"

__

"I see. Azu and I shouldn't be too long, but if we're not back by sunrise according to Chizuru, then I want you all to try your best to get the hell out of here,"

"Watch yourselves, and don't leave the ship for any reason. Goodbye, everyone,"

"Well, I wouldn't too much about him," Kirsty stretched as Sora paddled in front of her, chasing after Pingu, who was trying to get away from the Sky Fox, "Whatever's going on, Axe will handle it, he always does,"

"Hm, got a point, I guess," Dusty looked up at the ceiling, a worried look on her face, "I just can't help but shake this bad vibe I got,"

Niri waved her off, "You're just jumpy 'cause of spooky island outside,"

"AREN'T _YOU_!?"

"As long as whatever lives on the island doesn't come over here, I got no problems with them. They just better _not_ come over here,"

"Why not?"

"Because if they do, they're gonna have a problem with me. Ain't that right, Pingu?"

"HONK!"

"Damn straight,"

* * *

"This is a great ship," Isaac ran his hand along the wall of the dining room, "Really well made. I'm no shipwright, but I can tell someone put a lot of heart into this,"

"Heh, that person would be Azu," Herman chuckled as he placed a bowl of food in front of Isaac, "Kirsty said that you're still healing, so I made some food that should help you recover,"

"Thanks, but I'm just fine, I really don't need any-," Isaac stopped as his stomach growled loudly, "Er...," he sweatdropped and began to eat out of the bowl.

Herman sat down, "No one can deny food when it's needed, whether for recovery or for filling the belly. My grandfather used to tell me all kinds of things could be solved with food, and so far, I believe that a lot things can be," Herman glanced at the bandage visible on Isaac's side, "I heard how you got that,"

Isaac paused and swallowed his food, "Oh? Word travels fast about a stranger's injury,"

"Sorry,"

"Don't be, it didn't happen to you," Isaac murmured, "I tell you though, when I see that bastard again, I'm gonna teach him that people aren't food," he looked down at the bowl of food, "I can't help but wonder if this was a stroke of bad luck or bad karma,"

Herman blinked, "I'm sorry?"

Isaac sighed, "Nothing. So, where were you guys headed before coming here and finding us?" he asked as he began eating again.

"The Shabondy Archipelago,"

Almost immediately, Isaac began to cough, choking on his food. Herman rose from his seat, but Isaac held out a hand and quickly drank his beverage, washing the food down to free his throat.

"You okay?" Herman asked, looking a little worried.

Isaac nodded, "Yes, I am, thank you," he coughed again, "You said you're going to the Shabondy Archipelago?"

Herman nodded and sat back down, "We need a coating mechanic to work on our ship before we can cross the Red Line to the New World,"

"Have you ever been there?"

Again, he nodded, "With an old crew of mine, I've been to Shabondy. I met some good people over there, but I know what people are like over there,"

"And you're still wanting to go?"

Herman clenched his fists, "I'd probably be putting myself in danger, but my nakama need help and I know people on that island who can help them! Besides, I have my dream and a promise to fulfill, I can't let one group of stuck-up bastards ruin it for me with fear!"

Isaac looked at him for a long moment, "What's your dream?"

"I have two: one to find All Blue, and another to bring peace and equality to all races of this earth. No one should have to face discrimination because they're a different race, or anything that could give that kind of treatment. No one deserves to live a life being treated like an animal because they're different!" Herman's pupils shrank a littlle bit, "Screw Arlong and screw those Tenryuubito of Shabondy, they have no say over people's lives! When we get there, I'll do everything in my power to get my nakama on their way, and if any one of those bastards gets in my way of my goals or my dreams, then I'll just thrash them!"

"Strange that you say that when you said that we shouldn't do anything to invoke their wrath, Herman,"

Herman and Isaac turned to see Chizuru leaning against the doorway, wearing her usual skirt, boots, vest and cowboy hat, except in a black color, her arsenal of knives strapped to her body.

"Chizuru!"

"It's okay, I understand where you're coming from," Chizuru walked into the dining room and patted Herman on the back, "We all do. Now, Isaac," she turned to the blonde guest, "Herman's gotten to say what he needed to say. How about you?"

"...what...what do you mean?"

Chizuru raised an eyebrow, "You know what I mean...Tenryuubito!"

Both Herman and Isaac shot up from their seats.

"WHAT?!"

"How'd you know that?!"

Chizuru calmly reached under her hat and held out a WANTED poster, "Isaac 'Tenryu' Jizabel, doctor and First Mate of the Masque Pirates and has a bounty worth 305,000,000 Beli," she jiggled the paper, "This is you, correct?"

"Well, yes, but-,"

"You're a Tenryuubito?!" Herman screamed at him, "For real?!"

Isaac sighed and held up his hands, "Alright, alright, just calm down, big guy. Yes, I _am_ a Tenryuubito, so is my sister, but we are nothing like the ones you know of back at Shabondy,"

Herman just glared, not believing that he had been bad-talking the World Nobles in front of one of them!

"Yes, my ancestors created this world. Isn't it terrible considering how messed up it is?" Isaac asked quietly, looking straight at Herman, "Yes, I know what the others do at Shabondy. In fact, one of my relatives...one time I saw him trying to purchase a Fish-Man slave from the Auctioning House,"

"Sonofa-!"

"Herman," Chizuru glanced at her nakama, "Calm down,"

"But, like I said, we are nothing like those!" Isaac insisted, "Let me ask you something. If I was anything like those assholes, do you honestly think I'd be living a life on the seas as a wanted criminal to the World Government instead of being a World Noble, living the easy life?" he shook his head, "Compared to those people, my sister and I enjoy our lives as pirates instead of the Tenryuubito. In fact, I would like to make a better reputation for us Tenryuubito by being a pirate,"

"Yeah, how?" Herman snapped, "How the hell can being a pirate possibly bring a better reputation to the World Nobles?"

Isaac sighed, "It's difficult to explain, but I'll try later when you're calmer, alright? Will you give me that chance?"

Herman snorted and walked out of the dining room, slamming the door behind him.

Chizuru turned to Isaac, "He's got racial issues,"

"Gee, ya think?"

* * *

Hours passed and the crew was getting antsy. Herman tried to avoid being around Isaac in fear that he would actually snap and go at him like an enraged shark, Dusty and a handful of the others kept staring out at the island ahead of them, and everyone else went about doing their own thing to pass the time. As the hour grew late, Austin was sent to bed so he didn't tire himself out while the adults stayed up, waiting for their captain.

Niri was getting nervous. She kept looking out at the island from her room on the front mast, chewing on her thumbnail as time passed. There was something going on, she could feel it, but she couldn't quite place her finger on it. She had this feeling for a good while now, and she knew her nakama had the same feeling, but they didn't say anything about it. Strangely enough, when she brought it up with Chizuru and Isaac, the two of them acted oddly.

Chizuru remained very calm and told her to trust that the captain would return, and Isaac wouldn't even meet her gaze.

_You two know something, don't you?_ she thought, chewing on her other thumb, _What is it? What is it that you two know that we don't know? Is it something that you came across, or is it something that Axe told you guys about, but didn't want to tell us for some reason?_

Frustrated, she kicked the wall, growling a little bit.

"Axe, Azu, where the _hell_ are you guys?!"

* * *

"What time is it now?"

Devon sighed and checked his watch, "Half past eleven. We got an hour before midnight,"

Dusty whined and paced back and forth on the deck while Kirsty lay her head on her husband's shoulder and Herman looked ouat the island, drumming the railing loudly.

"I don't care if the time limit isn't here yet...," Herman turned around and looked at his nakama, "But, I'm getting a terrible feeling about this,"

"Herman, just chill," Devon said quietly, "They'll be here,"

"I don't think so," Herman shook his head, "This feeling...it's telling me that something's bad happened to the both of them. I know that you guys think the same thing, because I can see it in your eyes,"

"Herman-,"

The Fish-Man walked right up to Devon and looked down at him, "Look me right into the eye-stalks and tell me that you're not getting the same vibe, Devon,"

"I'm getting it!" Dusty bounced nearby, "I've been getting it, but no one's been listening to me, so-,"

"SHUT UP!" Devon shouted at the miko and turned to the chef, but before he could answer, Isaac joined them, staring ahead.

"He's right to have this feeling," the blonde crossed his arms, "I've seen what that island has, and if you guys have this bad feeling, it's well-founded,"

Kirsty frowned, "What do you mean?"

Isaac glanced at them, "There are things on this island...things that shouldn't exist in this world!"

-Flashback-

_"What the **fuck** was that about?!"_

_"I don't know...I've never seen anything like it!"_

_Taeko and Isaac lay on the ground just inside a large iron fence, just outside the huge manor on the island, panting for breath._

_"Those...those things...," Taeko looked back the way they came, "...they just...the just popped out of the goddamn ground! How the hell can those things-?!"_

_Isaac shook his head, "I don't know, I don't know! This is impossible, the dead shouldn't be able to move around like this, it's just not scientifically possible!" he looked back at the manor behind them, "C'mon, maybe we can get some help in there,"_

_"Oh sure, go towards a creepy looking house on an island filled with the walking dead!"_

_--_

_"That was brilliant, Doc, real brilliant!"_

_Isaac rubbed his eyes as Taeko paced around the room they were given to stay in the mansion, "Taeko, I'm not really in the mood right now,"_

_"What kind of doctor...no, what kind of person lives on an island filled with those things and is not only attacked by those things on a regular basis, but actually stays on this island to study them?! Taeko pointed to the outside through the bedroom window, "There is something really messed up, Doc, and I think we just walked into a big pile of shit!"_

_"I KNOW!" Isaac shouted, but quickly brought his voice down, looking at the door, "Taeko, I know...I find this to be very wrong too, but we have to try our best not to show any signs of us knowing," he walked over to his nakama, "Listen, we'll just go out there, apologize to this...this Hogback guy, say that we can't stay, ask if we can borrow a boat and then we get the hell out. Okay?"_

_Taeko looked at him, "Alright, we can do that. Or, we can do a plan that'll actually work," he suggested, making Isaac get an annoyed look on his face, "We'll just sneak out of here, see if we can find a ship around here, and then leave. An island this big," he grinned, "...has got to have some kind of transport around here,"_

_"And you're thinking you can find it without getting caught, hm?"_

_"I **am** a Master Thief,"_

_"You're also an idiot,"_

_"Oi...,"_

_--_

_"I FRIGGIN' HATE YOUR GUTS, DOC!"_

_"SHUT THE HELL UP AND JUST KEEP RUNNING!"_

_The two pirates ran screaming at the top of their lungs as a horde of strange and ugly looking things chased after them. Behind them was a group of disgusting looking people in bandages that tried to catch them, on the sides (hall walls to be exact) pictures sprung to life and tried to catch them, and even in the distance, they could see suits of armor moving around to catch them._

_"WHAT NOW, GENIUS?!" Isaac screamed, "GOT ANYMORE BRIGHT IDEAS?!"_

_"ONLY ONE!" Taeko shouted back as they found themselves coming to an intersecting hallway, "SPLIT UP!" he screamed right before breaking off from his nakama and taking the path on the right, "GOOD LUCK, DOC!"_

_"YOU SONOFABITCH!" Isaac shouted as he took the left, "I'LL KILL YOU!"_

_--_

_"Okay...I never...want to go through that...again,"_

_Panting, Isaac leaned against a tree and sat down, having escaped the bizarre manor a short time before. He had made it free and darted into the woods, hoping to lose the living dead that gave chase after him._

_"Note to self," he gasped, needing air, "Next time...any of us sees a barrel...in the water, just ignore it and sail the hell away...as fast as possible!"_

_As he sat there, trying to gather his bearings, Isaac began to hear voices. He immediately assumed it was whatever the hell that was chasing him and pressed himself up against the tree he was against, hoping to hide for a while. However, all he heard were voices and not footsteps. Not a single footstep was heard as he sat there, waiting for the cause to leap out of the darkness and grab him._

_Curiously and cautiously, Isaac began to move towards the source of the voices. From personal and very recent experience, he knew he probably shouldn't do this, but the curiosity got the best of him. Quickly and quietly, he moved through the forest, following the voices until he came to a large clearing. In the clearing was a group of strange looking people gathered around a roaring fire, and above that fire was an animal on a spit._

_The smell of roasting meat reached Isaac's nose and immediately, his stomach growled._

_"I could go for something to eat," he murmured to himself, "...and thoough they look strange, they're nothing like the crazy freaks I've seen already. Maybe they can help me and feed me at the same time!" he stepped out of the clearing and waved both arms at the group, "Can you guys help me?!" he called out, "I need some help!"_

-End Flashback-

_That was a big mistake..._ Isaac held his side, _I learned a little too late not to go with my gut in a place like that, and I even learned that the animal on the spit wasn't an animal, but..._ Isaac closed his eyes, not wanting to relive that vision.

"Are you okay, Isaac?"

"Yeah," he opened his eyes and sighed, "Bad memories, don't worry about it. Listen, uh," he cleared his throat, I'm gonna go check on that kid...,"

"Austin? He's doing fine,"

"Yeah, but it gives me something to do," Isaac glanced at the island, "I...I really can't be up here, looking at that for too long,"

The crew watched as Isaac descended down the stairs.

"Something bad must've happened to him,"

"You mean besides getting a chunk almost ripped out of him?"

"I apologize for that, he was overzealous...he tends to be when he's hungry, which is always," said a calm voice.

"Yeah, well, he should...," Kirsty trailed off, "Dusty, was that you?"

"No...,"

"Devon?"

"Did that sound like me?!"

Kirsty gulped and slowly turned around, as did the others and they were all surprised to see a small boy, about Austin's age, standing in the middle of the deck. He wore what looked like a small suit without it's jacket, but he had a head of shaggy black hair, uncombed and everything.

Devon reached for his swords, "GUYS! COMPANY!"

Almost instantly, the rest (save for Austin and Isaac) appeared on the deck, looking ready for a fight.

"Wait, hold on, he's just a child!" Kirsty held up her hands, "Guys, stop!" she looked at the boy, "Who are you, and how'd you get on this ship?" she asked kindly.

The boy bowed his head, "My apologies for that as well. My name is Tobias, and I didn't mean to startle you,"

"What're you doing here?" Devon asked, slowly unsheathing his swords, "Huh, kid?"

Kirsty nudged him in the stomach, "He's a kid!"

"So is Austin, and you know what he's capable of!" he hissed.

"I mean no harm," Tobias said politely, "Far from it,"

"Then why are you here?" Niri asked, looking on edge, "Just so you know, we're expecting our nakama any minute now and when they get here-,"

"That's why I am here," Tobias interrupted the former Marine, "I'm here on their behalf,"

"Say what?"

"Yes," Tobias pointed to the island, "They sent me here. If you wish to see your friends, all you must do is follow me to the manor. They are waiting for you there,"

Behind the boy, Devon could see the heads of Austin and Isaac, who were keeping a low profile. Devon gently shook his head, almost undetectable, but Austin was able to see it. The mute boy tugged at Isaac's clothing and went below deck completely, avoiding being seen.

"Could you...give us a moment?" Kirsty asked.

"Of course, please, take your time, I have no objections," Tobias said with a smile.

The crew gathered on the other side of the deck, huddled together.

"Okay, now do you guys feel that bad vibe?!"

"I do,"

"Same here,"

"Something is really wrong here. No way Axe would send a kid to deliver a message, not after what he said before he and Azu left,"

"What do we do?"

"I dunno,"

"Should we follow him?"

"I dunno!"

"Maybe Axe and Azu are in trouble?"

"If we go, we could get into trouble!"

"Then what are we supposed to do?"

"I dunno!"

Niri snapped her fingers loudly, "Alright, here's what we do!"

Her nakama all looked at her.

"We go, we check it out, then we get the hell back,"

"And if we run into trouble?"

"We kick everyone's ass on the way out," Niri looked at all her nakama, "Chances are this is a trap or something, maybe there are bounty hunters over there, or maybe we'll be in the same condition as those two from before, but I know one thing: if Axe ain't back now and there's a stranger giving us a message from him, then something is defintely wrong. We have to help,"

Everyone nodded (though Dusty still seemed pretty apprehensive about going) and Niri walked to the boy.

"We'll come, but we need some time to get ready,"

"I'll wait here,"

* * *

"Tobias should be back with them any moment now, Captain,"

"Good, good. Have you spread word around the island?"

"Yes, the order from our illustrious host has been spread. They won't do anything to them, they won't even appear,"

"Very good. Have you spotted any of the other intruders? We know that if one of them made it back, the rest should be here, too,"

"We have no word on Gaine's meal-to-go, and we can't find any trace of his companion,"

"What about the assassin woman?"

"Around. She doesn't know how to defeat any of our combined forces, so it'll be a matter of time before we find her. If you don't mind me asking, Captain. If you're willing to spare Axe's life to hand him over to Madro, what do you intend for his crew? Do you still wish to kill them?"

"What I plan on doing with them is my business for now. After I've had my fill of their screams of terror and when their hope of surviving runs out...hehe...then the_ real_ fun begins!"

* * *

**Kilnorc: Hm, it seems like something is amiss! Wonder what's going on, and I wonder where Axe and Azu are? Stay tuned to find out!**

**On the next chapter of Endless Nightmare...**

**Devon: That guy better take good care of my brother while we're gone.**

**Dusty: I'm telling you guys, I just saw something freaky out there!  
**

**Tobias: The Master of the manor likes his privacy, but he does enjoy having guests from time to time.**

**Dusty: That picture's eyes are following us, you gotta believe me!**

**House of the Dead**

**Niri: Oh my God...**


	5. House of the Dead

**House of the Dead**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece.**

* * *

Before leaving the Ocean Dreamer to follow the young messenger Tobias, the Axe-Heads prepared themselves for anything downstairs in their rooms. After a quick change of clothes and equipping themselves with gear and other neccessities, they were ready to leave. However, they were all reluctant to go for obvious reasons. A spooky island called a Ghost Island, a strange arriving and saying that Axe and Azu sent him, two people without shadows thanks to something on the island...

Devon was worried, but not for his shadow being stolen or entirely for the well-being of his captain, but mainly for the safety of his little brother.

"That guy better take good care of my brother while we're gone," he muttered as he zipped up a thick vest, "Anything happens to him, I'm gonna-,"

"I know, Devon, I know," Kirsty cut him off as she pulled on a pair of boots she bought back at Water 7, "But even if something happens, God forbid, you need to keep your emotions in check and just in case," she stood up and wrapped her arms around him from behind, "Keep your friend close, hm?" she opened her palm and showed him the Soul Fragment.

_I'm glad I told her, and everyone, everything, but I kinda expected them to be more...I dunno, weird about him. Still..._ Devon took the gem and tied it around his neck, hiding it under his vest, _...glad she's not too freaked out about it. Not bad, but I just hope he remembers our agreement!  
_

As the crew left the ship and followed the strange child, Isaac and Austin watched from the safety of the ship. Isaac looked ahead at the manor and folded his arms, Dammit, I'm letting them go to the slaughter... he grit his teeth, You idiot, you should've told them!

"Honk,"

"AAH! WHAT THE HELL ARE _YOU_ STILL DOING HERE?! GET AWAY FROM ME!!"

Austin sighed and walked back downstairs.

_They'll be okay. Might as well go back to sleep, I'm sure these two can keep an eye on things for now..._ he yawned and disappeared down below.

* * *

"Okay, what the hell is this place?"

"It's...oh God...,"

Tobias smiled as he led the Axe-Heads through a large corridor filled with bones and skulls, "It's one of the Master's pets. Don't worry though, he's been confined for now, so he won't attack us. Besides," he looked back at them, "I'm sure you all would be able to handle him without a problem, hm?"

Niri tried her best not to look at the human remains beneath her feet, _Just keep thinking about Axe...Axe, Axe, Axe, Axe..._

* * *

After leaving the large, bone-filled trench, Tobias led them down a dark, dirt road for awhile until they came across a gigantic carriage drawn by two of the weirdest looking horses and coach drivers. The horses were wrapped in bandages and the drivers were very short, both of them sitting either on a horse or on the little bar at the front, both wrapped in heavy clothing.

Tobias turned and gestured, "Please, step inside, there's plenty of room for everyone,"

He was right, for a carriage, it had a very surprising amount of space inside. Kirsty thought back to her father who used to drive carriages in the East Blue before that fateful day. She turned to Tobias, who was looking at them all, an eerie and somewhat disturbing smile on his face.

"So, um, Tobias," she cleared her throat, "Tell us more about this...this Master of yours,"

"Oh, he's not _my_ Master," Tobias shook his head, "He's just the Master of the manor on this island. I'm just here with some friends,"

"I see...,"

"Yes. But, anyway, the Master is a good man. He's a very brilliant man, he used to be a wonderful physician. You may have heard of him, Dr Hogback?"

Everyone shook their heads and turned to ask Kirsty if she knew who that was, and they did, they all sweatdropped when they saw her eyes went wide and bright, a large, excited smile on her face.

DJ leaned over to Dusty, "Something tells me she knows...,"

"Alright, spill, who is it?" Niri asked her nakama, "C'mon, Kirsty, don't leave us hanging,"

Shaking with excitement, Kirsty turned to her friends, "Dr Hogback is a genius and a legend among doctors!"

"Even among Vegapunk?" Niri asked, boredly, "You know, that Government doc?"

"I don't know," Kirsty shook her head, "But he was amazing! He used to save thousands, and I literally mean _thousands_ of lives with the miracles he performed!"

"Used to?"

"Until ten years ago, when he vanished off the face of the map. No one knew what happened to him, but they all had their theories. One was that he got kidnapped, another was that he died, all that stuff!" she turned to Tobias, "Is he really here?!"

Tobias smiled, "Yes, he is. If you're lucky, you may get to meet him,"

"Oh, I hope so," Kirsty said with a dreamy look on her face as she lay her head on Devon's shoulder, "That would be so wicked!"

Devon sweatdropped.

"OH MY GOD, WHAT THE HELL?!"

Everyone turned to Dusty, who had her face pressed up against the carriage window.

"What the hell, kit?"

"What's wrong, Dusty-chan?!"

Dusty pulled away from the window and pointed to the darkness outside, "I-I...I just...I just saw a unicorn or something weird like that!"

They all facefaulted.

"She's imagining things again...,"

"Dusty, come back to earth, honey,"

"She had sugar, hm?"

Dusty puffed out her cheeks angrily, "I'm telling you, I saw something freaky out there!" she turned to Tobias, "Alright, pipsqueak, what was that out there?!"

Tobias held up his hands, "Please, there's no cause for alarm. It's dark and there's a thick fog coming in. With the surrounding forest, it's very easy to mistake a tree or a bush with something odd. That's the atmosphere of this island, it can't be helped!"

"But I-!"

"Dusty," Chizuru cut her off, "Shut up,"

The fox girl glared at Chizuru and noticed that she was looking right at Tobias, a hard look in her eyes.

_What's wrong with **her**?_

Outside, as the carriage made it's way down the dirt road, dark forms gathered from behind, watching it make it's way towards the manor ahead.

* * *

"So, they are on their way. Hm, you know, considering what Axe gathered them together for, you'd think they'd be more wary of their predicament and be on their guard,"

"Oh, I'm sure he told them a great deal about us, Captain, but I don't think he told them everything,"

"If he didn't, then he's doomed his entire crew. Then again, even if he told them everything he knew, he still couldn't have told them _everything_,"

**(Author's Note: Confusing yes, but you'll see what this means in future chapters)**

"I think he doomed them when he decided to come back to the Grand Line,"

"Aye, he did. Now, let's get ready to greet our guests,"

"Are Hogback and the others coming?"

"They have a right to. After all, it is their home and we are their guests,"

"I'll let the others know the time's approaching, Captain,"

"Good boy,"

* * *

"Whoa...,"

"That's...that's uh...,"

"...a very big house,"

The Axe-Heads gawked at the enormous stone mansion that loomed over their heads. They had passed through a large iron gate that creaked very loudly as it opened for the carriage and they had stepped out of the vehicle after coming to a stop. As they stood there, staring up at the house, Tobias casuallly walked by them.

"Please follow me, everyone. Your friends are inside and they're waiting for you,"

They followed him inside as he beckoned, but the strange and horrible feeling they were having seemed to grow larger and larger with each step. As they walked through the dark halls of the mansion, Dusty and the others saw numerous portraits of men and women on the walls, as well as suits of armor lining the corridors.

"Hogback has an impressive collection of art," Chizuru said coolly, looking straight ahead, "But he doesn't seem to have much staff here to help out with this large house. Surely he has a maid, or a butler?"

Tobias looked back at her, the calm look still on his face, "Oh, he has some help. She's around here somewhere, but she's a bit rude to guests, so I was sent to deliver the message by Axe," he turned back, "The Master of the manor likes his privacy, but he does enjoy having guests from time to time,"

"Is that why he doesn't have a lot of servants?"

"Yes, strangely, it is. The less he has, the more privacy he has. For a genius, Hogback is an odd man, but he deserves respect despite his quirks,"

Quirks? Dusty looked at the pictures that they passed, Screw quirks, this guy has weird taste in art. These things are so creepy looking... she stopped and looked at one portrait of a woman, "Not the best looking one, but it could be worse I suppose,"

At that very moment, the portrait's eyes darted to the side and looked straight at Dusty. Seconds later, she let out a scream and darted back to her nakama, whom she plowed into upon arrival.

"OW!"

"KIT! BY ODIN, I WILL USE YOU AS SEAKING BAIT!"

"SONOFA...," Niri rubbed her head and sat up, "Dusty, what the hell is wrong with-?" she stopped when she saw that Dusty was trembling, "...you?"

Dusty pointed back down the hall, her eyes wide as saucers, "Th-th-the pictures moved!"

"What?"

"The picture moved, Niri, it moved!" she repeated before grabbing her shoulders and shaking her, "I was looking at this painting, said that it wasn't the best, and then it looked right at me! I mean, it looked right at me!" she pulled the former Marine close, inches from her face, "The portrait is alive!" she hissed.

Devon rolled his eyes and wrenched Dusty's hands away from Niri, "You've been reading one too many scary stories, Kit," he stood up and moved to the nearest painting, "Look, I'll prove it to you,"

"Devon, don't!" she cried in a panicky tone, "Don't piss it off!"

"It's a friggin' piece of paper with paint on it!" Devon turned and gave the finger to the portrait, "Fuck you, Mr Ugly Man, fuck you!"

The portrait didn't do anything.

"See?" Devon turned, looking proud, "Told ya, now c'mon," he grabbed Dusty and began to walk off, dragging her along the way.

"Devon! You idiot, you just-!" she stopped when she saw the portrait he flipped off turn it's head, watching them leave, "That picture's eyes are following us, you gotta believe me!"

* * *

The rest of the "tour" went on without much of a hitch for the crew. They traveled for what seemed like an eternity until they came to a set of large, wooden doors.

"Is this it?" Niri asked, looking at the door, "Tobias?"

No answer.

She looked around to see that the boy had disappeared. Everyone noticed this as well and soon looks of confusion crossed their faces. Niri growled and turned back to the door, fingering her father's pistol as it lay in it's holster.

"No turning back,"

The others nodded while Dusty started to inch away from the group.

"How about yes on the turning back part?"

Devon grabbed Dusty by the tail to prevent her from leaving, "You wanna go back through a hall of 'living portraits' by yourself, feel free. Otherwise, stick with us,"

Tears rolled down Dusty's cheeks, "Alright, but leggo of my tail!"

Niri took a deep breath and pushed the doors open. They creaked loudly as they swung open, but they ignored the sound as they walked into a very large, but dimly lit room. When they reached the middle of the room, the doors slammed shut behind them with a bang, causing most of them to jump.

"Knew something was wrong," Niri pulled out her father's pistol, "Get frosty, people!"

Seconds later, everyone was armed and ready to fight.

"My my...aren't you a fearsome looking bunch?" a taunting voice greeted them from the darkness, "I can see why he recruited you. After all, Axe always goes for strong people and monsters, as I can see from the fox-girl and that lobster-man,"

"OI!" the chef and scout/miko of the crew shouted, veins appearing on their heads, "WHAT'D YOU SAY!?"

Niri looked around, _That voice...it sounds familiar, but where have I heard it? Also, where the hell is it coming from?_

"I've read about your exploits, crew of Axe, and I must say that for a bunch of rookies, you've done a lot of interesting things. You've helped fight against Shichibukai, you've escaped from a prison on the ocean, you've fought a clan of mikos allied to the World Government, and you have even defied and fought the Government itself in sake for a nakama," the voice continued, the tone getting more and more giddy with each passing second, "I wonder something. You've faced the Govvernment for the sake of a single nakama...but what would you do for _two_ nakama?"

A bright flash of light came, blinding the entire crew momentarily. The blinding light faded away and they all looked around to find a large number of armed people gathered around the entire room. Some looked like your normal run-on-of-the-mill people, while some looked much less normal. One in particular was a gigantic, fat man with folds and folds of fat going over his body, and two shiny meat cleavers in his hand and a belt of skulls around his body. Another was adorned in magnificent black armor with a long sword at it's hip. The last one that caught their attention was a young man, around Devon's age or so, wearing torn clothing and had a head of long, shaggy hair with a golden amulet around his neck. They couldn't quite see his face due to his hair, but he and the fat man looked very familiar.

Niri aimed her pistol at the armored one, obviously the man in charge, "Where's Axe and Azu?!" she demanded, pulling back the hammer on her gun.

The armored person chuckled and raised a finger, "Look right above you, my dear,"

Everyone looked up and what they saw was something they neither of expected to see.

Niri's eyes widened as small drops of blood landed on her forehead. She ignored the blood, but looked above at the sources of the drops.

"Oh, my God...,"

There, bound by chains and hanging upside down by their feet, were Axe and Azu. They slowly spun around, each covered in horrible wounds and covered in their blood which began to drip down on the others below.

"AXE! AZU!"

"They can't hear you," the armored warrior shook his head, "You see, they took quite a beating from me and my subordinates earlier, as well as some others that decided to join in fun. I assure you, they're both alive, but just barely,".

Niri snapped her head back down and aimed her pistol at the enemy again, "Who the hell are you?! Why'd you do this to them!?" she shrieked, "Answer me, you bastards!"

"Bastards? I'm afraid I personally don't qualify for that insult," the armored warrior reached up and lifted the helmet from it's body and revealed the face underneath, "I can't tell you all how long I've waited for this...,"

If Niri thought her eyes couldn't go wider, she was proven wrong because what she saw made them go much wider. Her arm and hand began to shake.

Kairi Lumina, aka the Blood Countess held the dark helmet underneath her arm and smiled wickedly down at the Axe-Heads as her former captain and nakama hung overhead.

"Everyone, please allow me to welcome you to Hell. I hope you enjoy, because you'll be staying,"

* * *

**Kilnorc: Uhm...I believe what just happened here speaks for itself.**

**On the next chapter of Endless Nightmare...**

**Kairi: He was weak then, he is weak now.**

**Niri: You...bitch! You stole my life from me!**

**Devon: EVERYONE, GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE! GO, GET OUT OF HERE, NOW!**

**Dusty: THE PICTURES ARE ALIVE! I TOLD YOU!!**

**The Nightmare Begins**

**Kairi: Have some fun, boys and girls, but remember...don't kill them or anything stupid. I don't want the fun to end too soon.  
**


	6. The Nightmare Begins

**The Nightmare Begins**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece.**

* * *

"How the hell could she have done that to Axe and Azu?" Dusty stared up at her nakama fearfully, "I haven't seen them take a beating like that since Water 7...," she snapped her head down and gawked at Kairi, "Don't tell me they're as strong or stronger than CP9?!"

Kairi chuckled at the panicky kitsune, "We are strong, yes, but the reason your so-called captain lost and is now hanging like my personal trophy is for one reason and one reason only: he was weak. When I took over, he was weak then, and he is weak now, so kicking his ass a second time was rather easy for me,"

_I knew it! I knew **something** was wrong with this whole thing earlier!_ she glanced at Chizuru, _Did **you** know?!_

_Yes, I did, as did Isaac..._ Chizuru glanced at her, _I'm sorry, Niri, but he made us swear not to tell any of you guys._

_Why the hell not?!_

_Because, this is **his** burden..._

-Flashback-

**_Earlier that night..._**

_"Are you sure, Isaac?"_

_"Believe me, I'd know that ugly face even from a distance," the blonde doctor pointed to Gaine's poster, "That's the guy I saw on the island, that's the one who tried to take a bite out of me!" he held his side, "Why do you have all these posters, Axe?"_

_The captain sighed and sat back in his chair, "The Blood Countess and the Moon Beast are two of my former nakama. I was their captain and we used to sail together until they mutinied against me,"_

_Taeko pointed to the pictures, "These two? What'd you do to piss them off?"_

_Axe just stared at the pictures for a bit._

_"Hello?" Taeko waved a hand in his line of sight, "I'm talking to you...,"_

_"I've often wandered that myself," Axe murmured, unphased by the waving, "At first, I believed that they were angry that I couldn't give them the treasure filled adventure that I set out to do, that I said we'd have. Or maybe they just thought I was unfit or too weak or something to lead them," he shook his head, "But now, I don't know...at least I won't until I come face to face with them,"_

_"And what do you plan on doing?" Jinko asked, crossing her arms._

_Axe glanced at her, "What does the Guild you belong to do when someone fails in a mission or tries to leave?"_

_Jinko blinked, surprised, "Those stupid enough to try and leave...let's just say that they wouldn't live to try and correct that mistake,"_

_"That's because it's their duty to stay and if they betray, then they deserve to be punished," Axe turned in his chair and pulled a couple of well worn books, one of them being the book he received from Wraith back at Water 7, the other being his journal, "I have to do the same to them,"_

_"What about the crew you have now?"_

_Axe sighed and ran his hands through his hair, "I was so stupid when I brought them into this. This was **my** burden, **my** curse, **my** cross to bear and I brought them into it in hopes of replacing the crew I lost and helping me kick their asses when it's not their place,"_

_"So, you're saying that you've doomed them?" Isaac asked slowly._

_"Yeah, that's what I'm saying," Axe looked up at Chizuru, who was standing very quietly nearby, "Have anything to say?"_

_Chizuru just pulled her hat down over her eyes and leaned against the wall._

-End Flashback-

"Burden or not, this bitch is mine," Niri steadied her hand, aiming straight at Kairi's head.

The Blood Countess tilted her head, smiling, "Who would've thought that the little Marine girl from a few years in the past would come back and face us?"

"You killed Baron!"

"Only because he didn't give us the information we wanted," Kairi shot back, "He deserved to die, since he wasn't very helpful. I would've killed you, or given you to my friend here," she nodded to Toby, who was standing silently next to her, "As a mate or a pet, but be glad I spared your life. It was a rare moment of kindness, so don't think I'll grant you that same charity twice,"

"You...bitch! You stole my life from me!" Niri screamed, her hand shaking again, this time in rage, "You stole my life and I lost a friend that day! Because of you, I had to go through some much shit! Because of you, my father's name got dragged through the mud!"

"Watch yourself or you'll be buried in the mud," Kairi warned, wagging a finger idly, "I don't want to kill you before the fun stuff begins,"

Niri glared at her, "Fun stuff? What the fuck do you and your sick followers have planned, hm?!"

"Oh, so many things. First, we'll have our fun with you, then we will take what we need of you, then we will do what we wish. Some of you may live, some of you may die, and some of you may live and wish for death," she shrugged, "Who knows, I suppose? I think it all depends on how you all play and behave?"

_BAM_

A gunshot rang through the room as a trail of smoke rose through from the barrel of Niri's gun. She had just fired off a round at Kairi, but she didn't hit her.

Kairi smiled, "Thank you, Theo,"

The fatass cannibal chortled as a bullet fell harmlessly from his fat flesh and clattered to the floor, "No problem, Captain," he turned to his leader, "Can we play now?" he asked, licking his lips.

Kairi hummed for a bit, then backed away a few feet, "Have at them,"

Almost instantly the whole room was sent into an uproar as most of the enemy population shouted things at the top of their lungs and leapt at the Axe-Head crew.

"Macleod, Chizuru, Niri!"

"ON IT!"

Kairi and her crewmates watched as the two swordsmen belonging to Axe took care of a large number of their own forces while Niri and Chizuru took out another large number with gunfire and a strange power involving fire. Toby turned, "Captain...,"

"Show them, Toby...," Kairi's grin grew, "Show them why you are called the Moon Beast!"

"With pleasure," Toby pulled his sword off and handed it to Gaine before stepping down in front of the crew. While they were still handling the other armed enemies, Devon and Niri saw something bizarre start to happen. Toby began to convulse and twitch like mad, thick, dark hair growing out every part of his body, his limbs twisting and snapping as he grew.

"Oh what the fuck is _that_...?"

Kairi walked up alongside the newly transformed Toby and stroked the thick fur that covered his whole body, "Didn't Axe tell you guys? Toby is a werewolf,"

"A what?!"

"Are you shitting me?!"

"She has to be joking!"

"She's not," Toby growled, baring his fangs, "I am what I am,"

Suddenly, the wolfman leapt at the large group, headed straight for Niri. Acting quickly, Devon got in between the wolf and his nakama and brought up both blades, not only stopping the beastman in mid-journey, but kept his claws a safe distance from him. However, Toby still had some strength and speed in him and he made Devon slide back a little bit as the blades and claws crossed.

"EVERYONE!" he turned back to the crew, "GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE!" he screamed, "GO ON, GET OUT OF HERE, NOW!"

"He doesn't have to tell me twice!" Dusty turned into her powerhouse form, turned and plowed right through the set of closed doors behind them, "C'mon guys! Move it!"

"But Axe-!" Niri felt Herman grab her around the waist, "Herman, we just can't leave them behind!"

"We don't have a choice right now, we gotta get outta here or else we're dead!" the lobster Fishman cried as he lifted her off the floor, "We'll get them back, don't worry about it!"

As they and the rest of the crew followed Dusty out of the room, Devon glared hard at the room full of enemies as he slowly backed away towards the exit.

"You can run, you can hide, but only for a time," Kairi shook her head, clearly enjoying this little event, "Sooner or later, I will do what I wish with you all, and when you are on the brink of death, begging for your very lives, you should know that the very man responsible for the pain and torture you are about to receive is the man hanging above your head right now. Toby," she snapped her fingers, "Heel,"

Toby growled a little, but backed off, reverting to his human form.

Devon glared at them all, "This is a game to you?!"

"Yes, and I plan to enjoy every minute of it," Kairi smiled cruelly, "I really do,"

A loud scream came form the hallway, making Devon snap his head to the door.

"If you value the lives of your nakama, you may want to leave now,"

Devon grit his teeth, but turned tail and bolted through the doorway.

Theo wiped his mouth of drool and turned to his Captain, "We had them, why'd we let them go?"

"I have my reasons," Kairi turned and began to walk towards another door that was on the opposite side of the hall, "Bring them down, I don't want them to hang there forever,"

"Where are _you_ going?"

"To get a better view and to talk to our esteemed hosts,"

* * *

"THE PICTURES _ARE_ ALIVE! I _TOLD_ YOU!!"

"NOW IS NOT THE TIME, DUSTY!"

The Axe-Heads ducked, dodged, and jumped over a various number of the portraits from before. The portraits had indeed sprung to life and were actually leaning out of their frames, grabbing and clawing at the passing pirates. They punched, they slashed and shot, and even though they could tell the pictures were in pain, they kept coming at them.

"What the hell kinda place is this?!" DJ shouted as he slashed at a portrait with _Raikiri_, "Seriously!"

Niri was too upset to fight at her fullest, she found herself looking back down the hallway, desperately wanting to go back to not only save Axe and Azu, but to kill the bitch that ruined her life. A few times she came close to getting nabbed by the living portraits, but her nakama managed to save her.

_Axe...what the hell are these people?!_

* * *

Kairi stood out on a large balcony, overlooking most of Thriller Bark and enjoying the dark, fog-filled island as she listened to the screams of Axe's new crew down below. Normally, one probably wouldn't be able hear things at that height through the stones of the mansion, but she wasn't normal...not by a long shot.

Sensing something behind her, she turned to see a pale, transparent ghost with a generic look of spirits as a face.

"How'd it go?" the ghost asked in a high voice, "Have fun?"

"It's just beginning," Kairi smiled, "Without their leader and strongest fighter to guide them, they'll just panic and run around in fear about Thriller Bark like a bunch of headless chickens,"

"Horo-horo-horo," the ghost giggled, "Can we have some fun with them, too?"

"Of course, why not?" Kairi shrugged a little, "My main interest is Axe and the White Dragon, you guys and the rest of my crew can have your picks of the rest of his crew and anyone else you want,"

"Horo-horo-horo," it laughed again, "Any of them cute?"

"That's up to you to decide, Ghost Princess, not mine,"

Screaming from below made both the ghost and the Blood Countess look down to see a large group of tiny dot-like forms run from the mansion and back towards the forest. A short distance behind them, more dots appeared, but stopped just outside the mansion.

"If you'll excuse me," Kairi climbed onto the edge of the balcony and just stepped off.

The ghost hovered over to the side and watched as she fell from the great height.

Kairi fell, her hair blowing upward from the wind. As she drew closer to the ground, she saw most of her crew (or at least the leading crewmembers) waiting and watching as the Axe-Heads disappeared into the dark area of Thriller Bark. After what seemed like a long time, Kairi's feet made contact with the ground, but instead of collapsing into a crumpled heap of broken bones and pain, she just stood up and casually fixed her hair.

"Where'd you put Axe and that drunk?"

"For now, we had the little buggers make sure they don't move even if they woke up," Gaine grunted, "Their blood is getting to me, Captain, you know how hungry I get!"

"I know, fatman, I know," Kairi reached over and patted one of the many folds of Gaine's body, "But you'll have other chances to eat, just be patient," she turned around and faced the group around her, "Have some fun, boys and girls...but remember, don't kill them or anything stupid. I don't want the fun to end too soon," she shot a glance at Gaine, "That means no eating any of them, Theo,"

The fat cannibal moaned.

"So, here are the rules. No eating, no turning...Toby,"

"Hm...,"

"...and no killing, at least not yet. Other than that, have fun and do what you will at your own pace. We have all the time in the world,"

* * *

**Kilnorc: I know I said I'd update other fics more than this one, and I am still gonna do that, but I figured I'd do this at least once. Hope you guys enjoyed this one, I tried my best on it like every other fic I do. Not much here, I know, but I'm saving all the hardcore stuff for future.**

**On the next chapter of Endless Nightmare...**

**Isaac: Okay, this is not good...**

**Niri: We have to go back...we have to go and help them!**

**Devon: We ought to keep a watch, we can't lower our guard...**

**Chizuru: If we are to have any chance, we need to learn about these guys. Axe wrote a lot in his journal entries, we could learn more about Kairi and Toby and maybe we can find something that'll help us fight against them.**

**Planning the Next Move**

**Kirsty: So what do we do now?**


	7. Planning the Next Move

**Planning the Next Move**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece.**

* * *

"How long do you suppose it'll take for them to get back to the ship?"

"Some of them are much faster than the others, but given the obstacles, the zombies, and the low visibilty due to the fog and it being night, it may take them awhile, Captain,"

"Where's Agatha?"

"Not sure, but if we know her, she'll probably try and hinder their return to the ship,"

"Cannons?"

"That's definitely possible with her,"

Kairi sighed quietly and lay her head back as she lay in a large bathtub. She and her doctor, Eliza Bathory aka "The Butcheress" were in one of the many bathrooms of the mansion. Bathory attended Kairi's bath, since she was one of the few female crewmembers and therefore one of the few who could be in the room with her.

"Did you guy fix up the two idiots?" the Blood Countess asked, closing her eyes to enjoy her bath, "We may have our own plans for them, but we need them alive,"

"Yes, Stitches and I mended them as best we could without letting them get too healed up," Eliza nodded, "We don't want them to run around, now do we?"

Kairi chuckled, "Indeed, no. Have you-?"

A loud crashing sound was heard outside and the door burst open. Eliza and Kairi watched as Toby tumbled into the bathroom, his arms wrapped around an unseen person. Kairi's eye twitched, she knew what it was.

"Absalom!" Eliza shot to her feet, looking very angry, "Get your perverted ass out of here, or else I will make sure that the next operation done on you will be the last!"

A loud growl was heard and Toby's head snapped back, the werewolf releasing the unseen intruder. Footsteps were heard and the bathroom doors were slammed shut. Toby growled and held his bleeding nose, "I'm gonna kill that peeping bastard...,"

"You'll be fine, Toby," Kairi said nonchalantly, "Thank you for finding him though, I figured he'd try to make a move to come here,"

"No problem," Toby wiped his nose and headed towards the door, "I'll be out here if you need anything,"

When the werewolf left the bathroom, Eliza turned back to her captain.

"So, Eliza, have you alerted our two friends?"

"No, I thought since they came to you with the proposal, you should be the one who makes contact. But, if I may?"

"Go ahead,"

"Shouldn't we wait until we have both the White Dragon and Axe instead of just one of them before calling both Stein Madro and Black Crow?"

"Any normal person would wait until both were in their custody, but we are not normal and given our current situation, we can easily have both of them anytime we want," Kairi turned her head to her, "Do you doubt our capabilites, Eliza?"

"Of course not!"

"Just making sure," Kairi turned her head and looked up at the ceiling, a smile crossing her face, "Did you see the look on that drunk's face when he saw Goheno?"

Eliza giggled, "I don't think he was expecting the giant to look like that,"

"That's because before he joined up with us, he looked more human than he does now. We ought to thank that cache of documents we stole earlier from that Navy vessel. That man's research may be difficult even for you, Eliza, but you managed to pull of some of his work in a smaller sense, and because of that, Goheno is far more deadly in battle than ever,"

"Dumb and strong...some would say that's a dangerous combination,"

"But for us, that's a wonderful combination," Kairi slowly sat up, "I'm ready to get out now,"

Eliza unfolded a towel she kept on her arm and watched as her captain rose out of the bathtub, soaked in crimson liquid. Kairi calmly climbed out of the blood-filled bathtub and waited as her subordinate wrapped the towel around her body.

"I understand you feed on blood for a reason, but I'm curious as to why you bathe in it,"

Kairi looked at her from over her shoulder, "Do you know why I call myself the Blood Countess?"

"Uh...besides one reason, no, I'm afraid not,"

"There once was a noble woman somewhere in the world. She used to bathe in the blood of virgin women in order to keep her youthful appearance as well as her beauty. She was called the Blood Countess for the murders she committed and for her blood-bathing," Kairi smiled, as if she was telling an enjoyable memory, "Only the title of Blood Countess would suit me, my dear Eliza, and _that_ is why I chose it,"

As Kairi wiped, dried and dressed into a change of fresh clothing, Eliza left the bathroom and joined Toby outside, the werewolf's nose had dried, but the bloodstain was still there.

"Where's everyone else?"

"Doing what the captain said...they're going to have their own fun, as long as they don't kill them, so they went to prepare,"

"Good luck with that. With her ability, Agatha's going to be the first one to have fun with them,"

Toby just nodded in silence.

"Is Cobaras joining in?"

"No, not at the moment, he's still busy with his...his thing,"

"Ah...,"

"That creeps the hell outta me,"

"I'll admit, it's disgusting, but it's also fascinating considering the rarity of himself and his people,"

"...you're an odd one, Doc,"

"Right back at ya,"

* * *

"What the hell happened to you guys?!" Isaac demanded, looking at the tired and terrified Axe-Heads as they scrambled back onto the _Ocean Dreamer_, "What happened back there?"

"We...we saw...," Dusty panted, "We saw dead people...and...and a big ass...three-headed dog!"

_Dammit, so they ran into those things too!_ Isaac bent down and looked them over after seeing various bruising and other small wounds, "Where are your friends?"

They quickly told him and the others what they had witnessed and endured back at the mansion.

"Okay, this is not good...," Isaac ran a hand through his hair, "Not good at all,"

"NO SHIT!" they screamed at him.

After getting looked over and patched up as necessary, the entire crew plus their guest gathered in the dining room, trying to decide of what to do next and what to make of the problem concerning Kairi, her crew, and their own nakama who were not only being held prisoner, but were in bad shape when they last saw them in the mansion. They all sat there for a long time, not one of them saying anything out loud, but thinking of their current problem.

Finally, the silence was broken as Niri's fists came crashing down onto the table, making the others snap out of their thoughts.

"We have to go back...we have to go and help them!"

"That's obvious, but how are we supposed to do that?" Dusty asked her, holding her head, "You saw what's in that place. Besides, if they managed to take down both Axe and Azu, who are two of the strongest people in this crew, what the hell are we supposed to do?!"

"We've fought without Axe's help before!"

"Like two times! One time he was injured and the other time he was recovering!"

"He's injured now!"

"He's _dying_ now!"

"So you're just gonna leave them there to die?!"

"I'm just asking what could we do if _they_ got their asses handed to them?!"

"THAT IS ENOUGH!" Devon roared, ceasing the argument between the former Marine and the kitsune miko, "JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP AND LET'S TRY TO THINK ABOUT THIS!!"

The room went quiet again and Devon slid into his chair.

"Sorry...," he murmured as Kirsty patted him on the shoulder, "But Niri's right though, we have to help them-,"

"Is anyone listening-?"

"But _you're_ also right, Dusty," Devon cut her off, "With them gone, our fighting strength is sizeably cut down. We all can hold our own. We've gone up against the World Government and people of the New World...but my heart tells me that this is going to be our most difficult obstacle,"

DJ brought his hands on top of the table, his fingertips touching, "Axe recruited us to replace and fight these guys should we cross paths with them, and we hated him for lying and deceiving us like that...,"

"We all know what he did, DJ, you don't have to remind us," Niri muttered, rubbing her temple, "Let's just focus on the here and now and not the past,"

Once again, it went quiet. Isaac looked at all of the Axe-Heads for a bit, then quietly left the dining room.

"We all have mixed feelings about what must be done and what we'd all like to do after seeing the things inside that place," Chizuru said evenly, "I know that some want to leave, but some want to stay...I won't say who it is, but I will suggest something,"

They all looked at her.

Chizuru checked the clock, "It's late. I suggest that we all take a much needed rest-,"

"ARE YOU INSANE?!"

"WITH THOSE _THINGS_ OUT THERE?!"

"...take some rest, and while you are resting, you all think very hard about what you want to do. In the morning, we'll come together again here and we'll decide what to do now. Now, for those of you who are concerned about our safety...," she trailed off and glanced at Devon.

The blonde swordsman cleared his throat, "We ought to keep a watch, we can't afford to lower our guard...,"

"Any volun-?"

Niri's hand shot up, "I'll stay up as long as I have to. I already know what I need to do, so I don't need time to think and I can't rest...don't think I'll be able to anyway, so I'll be the one to keep watch,"

Chizuru nodded, "Alright...meeting adjourned, I suppose,"

* * *

As the rest of the crew went to rest and think, Chizuru found herself in Axe's cabin. She wasn't surprised to see Isaac there, staring at the bounty posters that her captain kept posted on the wall. She closed the door behind her, "That man that bit you...bullets don't harm him. I've seen scars on his body, a few that look like they were made by familiar weaponry, so it's safe to assume his fat won't let bladed weapons go too far in either,"

Isaac nodded, "So, he's like a shield of flesh-eating lard?"

"Apparently so,"

"What about these others?" Isaac nodded to the posters, "Anything on them?"

"I wasn't able to get much, but I know some things," Chizuru walked up besides him and pointed at Goheno Baba's poster, "That's the adoptive brother of our shipwright Azu. We didn't see him there, but I know he's around somewhere,"

Isaac turned to her, "How do you know what you know?"

"The human brain works in many ways, Isaac," Chizuru smiled a little, "But I'm afraid that even with my talents I wasn't able to get all I needed from them, and I also fear that if we don't get the right information soon, we're all screwed, for lack of a better term,"

"Well, either way it goes down, you guys can count me and the others in the fight,"

Chizuru glanced at him, "They're after their shadows and you're pissed that the fatman bit you...why help us with this problem?"

"Because if you're gonna go up against the fatman's crew, you'll go up against the fatman at one point...the least I could do is lend a hand,"

"Appreciate it," Chizuru noticed the books still laying on Axe's desk and sat down, opening the larger book.

"What are you doing?"

"If we are to have any chance, we need to learn about these guys," she leafed through the journal pages, "Axe wrote a lot in his journal entries, we could learn more about Kairi and Toby and maybe we'll find something that'll help us fight against them,"

"You seem to be a very intelligent woman, why don't you know some of this already?"

"I know more than you think I know," Chizuru murmured, "But it never hurts to get a little extra help. Besides, what's in here could be helpful to the rest of us and help us all figure out what the hell is going on," she glanced at the smaller book, "Before it's too late...,"

* * *

"So what do we do now?" Kirsty asked as she and Devon sat on their bed, his arms wrapped around her, "What do you think we should do?"

"What do you think?"

"I think that this whole thing is royally messed up, even for the stuff we usually come across...," she looked back at him, "Think we have a chance?"

"Depends on what you mean by that,"

"Huh?"

"Chance to fight and get them back, or chance to escape?" Devon murmured, "Don't try and lie to me, after what we've seen tonight, I wouldn't put it past anyone to think about ditching them and this place out of fear,"

"...what about you?"

"..."

"Devon?"

"..."

"Devon!"

"I don't know. Part of me wants to go back and fight like crazy, but another part of me worries for Austin. We're both fighters, I won't deny that, and I won't deny we have strong blood in our veins, but I fear for his safety,"

Kirsty lay back, her head on his shoulder, "Me too, to tell ya the truth. I'm sure all of us worry about him, he's like a little brother to all of us...," she took his hand and held it tightly, "...you think they'd actually come after him?"

Devon nodded, "Without a doubt. One of them is a werewolf, and what I know about wolves is this: they're mean, they're good at hunting, and they always go for the children because they're young and usually the weakest of the pack,"

_That's true, a lot of animals do that...and from what I've seen, these freaks are nothing more than just animals out for blood...our blood, to be specific._

"Devon?"

"Yeah?"

"Whatever happens," Kirsty tightened her grip, "Stay with me,"

"Always,"

* * *

Niri yawned as she sat up in her mast house room. On the table next to her, she had her guns, ammo, and a pair of binoculars in arm's length in case she needed them right away. She was more tired than she thought and led the others to believe, but she had volunteered, so she'd stay up as long as he could to keep watch. If she was lucky, one of her two captured nakama would have escaped and made his way back to the ship. If she wasn't so lucky, there would be one of Kairi's freakish crewmembers or one those dead things coming at them. Then again, if the latter happened, she could always snipe them, so that was a bit of luck for her there, too.

She sat there for awhile, having mixed feelings about this whole thing.

She hated Axe for lying to her and the others, but she cared for him like a brother/sister relationship.

After it sunk in, she was scared by the living dead that inhabited the islands, but she wanted to go in and save them.

With these feelings swirling around inside her, Niri found herself dozing off a few times. She quickly snapped awake and slapped herself to stay awake. She would've sent a message down for a coffee or a soda drink, but her pre-occupied mind prevented her from doing it.

Niri was soon asleep in her chair.

* * *

**Kilnorc: Okay, some more blah, but I'm building up to the action and surprises! Yes, more shots of Moria's group will come, don't worry. Oh, and I am VERY much aware that the chances of any of the Axe-Heads saying "Screw them, let's leave" are incredibly slim to none, but it's for dramatic purposes...  
**

**On the next chapter of Endless Nightmare...**

**Niri: Who the hell are _you_?**

**DJ: I remember when I first met the crew...**

**Herman: He accepted me right away, just about.**

**Devon: He's put our lives in jeopardy a lot because of his lies. **

**Choices**

**Chizuru: It's time, guys...**


	8. Choices

**Choices**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece.**

**Kilnorc: OMFG! -points to title- That's the name of the title from the original CotA when he first asked Devon, Kirsty, Austin and Dusty to join the crew! -waves hand- cosmic...**

* * *

Niri opened her eyes to find herself in a very strange place. She wasn't in her mast houseroom anymore, she was...where was she? The surrounding area looked like a large, dark room, lit with dim, oddly colored lights that seemed to give it a spooky ambience. Instinctively, she reached for her gun, but all she found was an empty holster.

"What the...?"

"Welcome, welcome, welcome...," a raspy voice greeted from the darkness untouched by the light, "You are my first visitor I've had in a very long time, so I appreciate it,"

Niri looked around the room, glaring at the walls and lights, "Who's there? Show yourself!"

Out fo the darkness, a woman appeared...at least it appeared to be a woman...hell, if not that, it at least appeared to be human in the vaguest sense! It was a young woman in her 20's, thin, with smooth curves and bouncy curled green hair with dozens of needles protruding through her skull. She wore a long one-piece silk white dress with three black crosses, with long sleeves that went down to the floor. What really disturbed Niri aside from the needles was the woman's horribly burnt and crusty-looking face and those piercing emerald colored eyes.

"Who the hell are you?"

The woman looked at her for a long moment, smiled, then backed away, disappearing into the darkness again.

"Hey, get back here!" Niri shouted right before the room went into total blackness, "What the hell's going on?!"

She looked around, seeing nothing but blackness in every direction. Unable to see her location, or the horrible-looking woman, Niri began to panic. She tried running in any direction, but it didn't help because she couldn't see where she was going at all! Her panic level rising, Niri was really wanting to leave this dark place.

Finally, as if some higher force took pity on her, the darkness around her disappeared and the area began to brighten. However, she was in a much different room than before, but it didn't look all that better in comparison. It was a boiler room of sorts, with dozens, if not hundreds of metal pipes with smoke and hot steam leaking out here and there. There were numerous boilers, but there was one massive one in the middle of the room. Niri did her best to avoid the steam that burst out of the furnaces, but the heat from the machines started to make her sweat like crazy.

"Hi there,"

Niri spun around and looked down to see a little girl in a white dress standing there. The girl was a stereotypical image of a little girl: cute frilly dress, nice shoes, curly blonde hair, pale skin, big blue eyes and ribbons in her hair.

The girl smiled, "Who are you?"

The former Marine frowned a little and knelt down, "I'm Niri...who are you? What are you doing here?"

"This is where I play," the girl tilted her head, "Why are you here?"

"Uhm...," Niri shrugged, "I have no idea, really," she confessed as the furnaces around her clanked loudly, "You really shouldn't play here, little girl, it's very dangerous. Do you need help getting out of here?"

The girl nodded.

"Alright," Niri picked her up into her arms and looked around, "Just gotta find the way out of here...any ideas?"

The girl pointed in a direction, towards a metal door marked EXIT in faded white paint, "That's the only way, but I can't open the door, it's too heavy,"

"Not a problem," Niri adjusted the girl's weight and headed for the door. As she approached, she held out her hand and grabbed the handle, but quickly drew it back when she felt a pain in her hand. She looked at her palm to see a large, red mark. Cursing, Niri set down the little girl and looked around for something she could use. Finding nothing but an old, oil-stained rag, Niri decided it was better than nothing and used it to grab the handle. She could still feel the heat from the door, but not as badly. The door opened with a loud creak as Niri picked up the little girl again. With the girl secure in her arms, Niri walked through the doorway and entered a dark hallway, the walls reflecting a dim, white light at the end of the hall.

"I don't know what this place is, but it's definitely not for a little girl," Niri muttered, "Don't worry, I'll help you get outta here,"

No reply.

_Must be too spooked to say anything..._ Niri thought as she drew closer to the end of the hall, _I don't blame her though, this place must look pretty damn creepy to a kid her age._

When she reached the end of the hall, she came to another door sitting under a flickering light. Luckily, this door's handle was much easier to hold due to absence of heat. She opened the door and stepped through...only to wish she hadn't. The door slammed behind her, but she was too preoccupied with what lay in front of her to notice.

Hanging from the ceiling were bodies. Lots and lots of bodies. Blood covered the floor, as well as some...other things...as the bodies sway slightly from side to side on the hooked chains that were connected to the ceiling. Niri couldn't help but grip the little girl, not wanting her to see this at all.

"Lady, you're hurting me!"

"Sorry, I just-," Niri turned her head to the girl and let out a horrified scream when she saw that she was carrying nothing more than a skeleton in a white, frilly dress. She threw the dead thing away and turned to leave, but instead of seeing the door back, she was greeted with the face of the woman from before.

The woman smiled, "Boo,"

_"Niri, wake up!"_

The ex-Marine's eyes popped open and right away, she threw a hard punch. Chizuru caught her friend's fist, "Easy, Niri, easy! You're just having a nightmare!"

Panting, Niri looked around to find herself in her room again, no longer in the corpse filled room with that horribly burnt woman. She held her head, which was covered in a cold sweat, "I...must've dozed off...," she looked up at her navigator nakama, "Thanks for waking me up,"

"No problem. From the sounds you were making, you were having a bad one," Chizuru handed her a can of soda, "I was coming to give you this for a pick-me-up, but saw you were asleep, and I was gonna wake you up, then you started to scream and everything, so I had to wake you up anyway,"

"Well, thanks again," Niri shook her head, "That was the worst nightmare I've ever had,"

"What happened?"

"I don't wanna talk about it...but there was this ugly as sin woman with burnt skin and needles coming out of her head," Niri shivered, "I friggin' hate this island, Chiz, it's giving me all kinds of bad dreams already,"

Chizuru looked at her for a long moment, then nodded and headed for the door, "Well, don't fall asleep again, alright?"

"Oh, believe me, I won't!"

The navigator shut the door behind her and began to make her way down the mast, _That description sounds familiar..._

* * *

"I want out, I want out, I so want out!"

DJ sweatdropped as he watched Dusty bounce around the room, throwing anything and everything out of her drawers, as if she were packing for a very long trip.

"Dusty-chan, you should really think about all this-,"

"Already have, those things are creepy as hell, they're down for the count, we stand no chance in Hell, we gotta get the fuck outta here!"

DJ sighed and hung his head, "Dusty-chan, please think about this seriously," he sat down on a nearby chair, "They are our friends and they need our help!"

"I know they need help, but what can we possibly due to help them?!" Dusty challenged, "The last time Axe was out of action was back at Kinmotsu when he and that baka Devon were recovering from Skypeia, and we're lucky to have gotten outta that mess without dying!"

"Dusty-chan, please-,"

"You almost died because of my bastard uncle, Herman was captured and tested on by scientists for the World Government...," Dusty tugged at her hair, obviously stressed, "Sometimes I just wish I never said yes and just continued on my way to stardom back in the East Blue!"

"...so you regret that?"

"Sometimes...but not all the time...,"

DJ sighed and lowered his head, "I remember when I first met the crew...you were hurt, and I was trying to help, but Devon wasn't exactly trusting,"

"Got that right, Whiskey Peak was so messed up, you're damn lucky he didn't kill you and I'm damn lucky I'm still alive!"

"But it wasn't until a little while later at Little Garden that I officially joined the crew,"

-Flashback-

_Axe cracked his neck, "So, you're a musician,"_

_DJ shrugged, "Yeah, I guess you can call me that,'_

_"A musician with dreams to protect, become stronger, and a man who's eaten a Devil Fruit,"_

_"Yeah...where you going with this?"_

_Axe turned and held out his hand, "Where I'm going with this is. I'm in current need of a musician on my crew, and it would be very good to have one who can hold his own in a fight. Now, I know that you have a thing for the girls in my crew, and I respect your wishes to protect them as long as you were traveling with us, but now I'm offering you a chance to make sure that they achieve their dreams, and therefore, achieving one of yours. What do you say? Will you join the Axe-Head Pirates, DJ Macleod?"_

-End Flashback-

"Of course, I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but then again, who can predict what curve balls life's gonna throw your way, hm?" he shrugged and picked up Raikiri from the wall, "All I know is that we're here together because of him, and we've gotten through every obstacle that's been put into our path together. If he hadn't brought us together, we could very well be with different fates than we are now, Dusty-chan...you could be with Dimitri, or finally nabbed and forever living on Kinmotsu,"

"...what about you, DJ-kun?"

DJ looked up to see Dusty standing in front of him, looking a little sad, her fox-ears drooping because of her mood.

The_ ittoryu_ speedsman looked at her before rising to his feet, eyes locked onto hers. The two of them stood there, then DJ made the move of leaning inward and kissing her full on the lips. They kissed for what seemed like an eternity and when they finally broke away, only one thing was said between the two of them.

"There's only one thing we _can_ do, Dusty-chan,"

* * *

"What do you want?"

Isaac sighed as he sat down at the counter while Herman went back and forth in the kitchen, "I came to talk, Herman, if you'll let me,"

"Why or why would I deny a great noble like you a chance to talk to a potential slave like me?" Herman snapped, slamming the refrigerator door shut, "I'm busy,"

The blonde Tenryuubito sighed and rubbed his eyes, "Shouldn't you be resting like the others?"

"I can't rest like them right now, some of the time I have to keep myself occupied with food...,"

Isaac watched the lobster Fish-Man move around the kitchen, making all sorts of dishes and treats that seemed to pile up on each other on the counter and dining room table.

"...need help?"

"No,"

"You sure? My sister cooks all the time, I know how to-,"

Herman slammed a metal cooking tray down and glared at him, "If I want help, I will ask for it, so just leave me the hell alone!"

Isaac frowned, "Alright, you know what, I know that there's a problem between us, so let's just get this out in the open right now, because I think there's a slight chance that whatever happens in the near future, we won't have a chance like it again!"

"Up yours, Tenryuubito! I have more important things to do than to talk to a...to a...,"

"To a what?"

"To a descendant of a racist group of assholes!"

The two of them glared each other for a bit before they broke line of sight and turned away from each other. Herman went back to his cooking while Isaac just looked around the dining room.

"So, what are you thinking about? With Axe, I mean?"

"Is that a joke?"

"Sorry," Isaac muttered, "So, how'd you meet up with this crew, if you don't mind me asking, I mean?"

Herman was quiet for a few moments, "It was really quite surprising,"

"How come?"

"...they were in the East Blue and in need of a cook. I trailed their ship for a couple of days, and made them a meal or two in secret,"

"Why'd you do that?"

"Because I was still a little cautious around humans," Herman couldn't but grin at the memory, "But he...he accepted me right away, just about,"

-Flashback-

__

"Uh...wow,"

"Well that explains breakfast the other day...,"

The lobsterman whirled around after knocking some pots and pans to the floor. Standing in front of him were a young woman with long red hair and a young man with black hair that went down to his shoulder-blades.

"You look like you're busy with something," the male started to slowly walk up to him, "What is it?"

"Uh...I...I...," Herman bent down and quickly gathered up the cooking tools, "I'm sorry, I'll leave right away! I don't want any trouble, I just...I just...,"

"Take it down a notch, man," the young man grinned, "My name's Axe and this is my ship. What's your name, merman?"

"...Herman...," the lobsterman said slowly.

"Herman the Merman?" the red-haired woman giggled, "How humorous,"

"Herman is my name for humans, the name I was given earlier in my life is too hard for your tongue,"

Axe glanced at the red-haired woman, "Alright, either way's fine with me. Are you the one who's been cooking for us?"

The Fish-Man nodded slowly.

"Well, I have to admit, that's some damn fine cooking," Axe leaned against the nearby wall, "Why are you hiding from us instead of taking the credit for good food that we all enjoy?"

"Uh...well...,"

"I mean, seriously! You make all this delicious food, but instead of taking credit where credit is due, you hide around and for what?"

Herman gulped, "Most humans don't like my kind. I wasn't sure if you guys were the same way...,"

"Well, personally, I don't have any problems with Fish-folk. Chizuru?"

"Not a problem at all, Captain, and I really doubt anyone else does,"

"See, that makes it okay!" Axe clapped his hands loudly, "Herman, I have a proposition for ya,"

Herman looked at him warily, "Proposition?"

Axe nodded, "But first, do you have any dreams? After all, this is the Era of Dreams?"

The Fish-Man was quiet for a long time.

"C'mon, what's the harm? Let it out, big guy!"

"I want...to find All Blue,"

"Oh...," Axe nodded, "I know a guy who has that dream. What're you after there, fish from all around?"

"Not exactly," Herman shifted around uncomfortably, "I want to find All Blue because there's another kind of treasure there, supposedly. But, that's not my only dream,"

"Oh, a dual-dreamer, you don't see that often. What is it?"

"...I want to make this world better for everyone of every race. I want to make this world a better place where there is no hatred or discrimination to someone just because of what they look like or what species they are...," Herman frowned and shook his head, "What does this have to do with that proposition of yours? I don't even know what it is!"

"The proposition is this: You join up with this crew and become our much needed chef, and I swear to every deity out there that I will do everything in my power to make both of your dreams come true," Axe held out his hand, "What do you say, Herman?"

-End Flashback-

"Despite his actions and lies since then, Axe is one of the few people in this world that I can count on. The others are in the East Blue, a couple is down the Grand Line and the last ones are this crew itself," Herman seemed much calmer than before, "Axe has saved my hide a few good times. One time, when we were visiting this island where they deemed Fish-Folk or any other people that weren't normal to be demons, I was captured and sent to a secret Government testing facility underneath a temple shrine. Axe came in, killed a few guards, and saved not only me, but the other captives that were there,"

Isaac just stared in silence.

"This crew is like a family I never had. Yes, we have our bad moments, but we have our good ones, too. I cook the younger ones meals they need to be strong and grow on this ocean, I teach fighting when asked for it, or I'm just an open ear to whoever needs it. These guys are like younger siblings to me, or even like children of my own...I can't just let one of them suffer. I have helped save most of this crew, as well as a few members of the crew more than once. I'm just not a chef on this crew, but I am a teacher, a friend, and a guardian to those who need it...," he sat down, looking more solemn than angry, despite the company he had right now, "I know what I gotta do, but I also know that if I do it, I could be sacrificing a lot of things...to tell ya the truth, I'm terrified,"

* * *

"What do you think we should do?"

"I don't think I can make the decision for us both,"

Devon and Kirsty looked up at the ceiling from their bed, still holding each other's hands as they pondered over the major question that hovered over their heads.

"He's lied to us...a lot," Devon murmured.

"But he's always been there for us, too," Kirsty pointed out.

"That's true, but for most of our journey together, he's been lying through his teeth,"

"But can you blame him?" his wife asked, "I mean, if you had been betrayed by people who you thought you were your friends, wouldn't you have trust issues?"

"Good point, but we could've just said no to his offer and stayed there that day,"

-Flashback-

_"My name, is Axe...and I'd like to ask you all a very important question,"._

_Dusty, Devon, Austin and Kirsty looked at one another before looking back at the man, "What question...?"_

_Axe brought the chair to the normal position and grinned more widely, "Will you guys join my crew?"_

_"Crew?"_

_Axe nodded, "That's right, Doc. See...I'm what you would call...a treasure hunter of sorts,"_

_Devon scoffed, "Ya mean pirate...,"_

_Axe nodded slowly, "Yes, I believe that's one word for it, but I prefer the term Treasure Hunter. Lemme explain my predicament. It's been a long time goal of mine to find all the greatest treasures of the world. Whether it be buried on an island, or sealed by some sort of myth or legend. But I can't do it, unless I have a crew. I came here to this island by accident on my way to meet up with some promising candidates...but then I saw you all fight and I knew, that you would be perfect for it,"_

_"Well, this is funny. I leave one crew only to get recruited again...," Dusty muttered, shaking her head. _

_Kirsty looked at him, "Why us? What do we have that can be of use to you?" she asked._

_Smiling, Axe pointed to Devon, "His strength with the katanas. I'd rather have Roronoa Zoro on my side, but I heard he's already part of one...," he then pointed to Dusty, "Her speed and agility, mixed with her illusions...," then he finally pointed at Kirsty, "I can always use a doctor...even one that can heal wounds without any medical equipment...,"._

_Devon frowned and looked at Kirsty, "Yeah, about that. How the hell did you do that?"_

_The blonde woman smiled nervously, "I uh...ate a Devil Fruit when I was younger...," she confessed, "It was called the Heal-Heal Fruit. Of course, I know that I can't swim anymore...but in exchange for that, I can help people much easier. I can heal about five people a day no problem...and...hehehehe,"_

_"Wait, you ate a Devil Fruit too, Doc?" Dusty asked loudly._

_Kirsty raised an eyebrow at her, "You mean you ate one, Dusty?"_

_The fox girl nodded and pointed to her ears and her tail, "What, you think I got these when I was born? Naw, I ate the Kit-Kit fruit!" she said with a grin. The two girls looked over at Devon with an expected look on their faces._

_Catching the looks, he frowned and held up his hands, "Hey, what are you looking at me for?" he snapped._

_"What Fruit did you eat?" Dusty asked him._

_Devon shook his head and waved his hands, "Uh uh...no freakish fruit! I don't have any ability except what I use for my blade...,"._

_"__Anyway...," Axe interrupted, a slight tone of annoyance in his voice, "If you join my crew, I swear that you will not regret it. You will see new people, new places, all sorts of gold and treasure! I can guarantee you that you will see things that most people in this world have never seen before!" he offered._

_Dusty put her arms behind her head and looked up, "I dunno...I mean, I just got off one...,"._

_"Legendary treasure...?" Devon wondered aloud as he rubbed his chin._

_Austin bounced up and down excitedly, pulling on his older brother's shirt._

_Kirsty looked down at the floor, silent._

_"Aw, hell. Why not? I'm in!" Dusty half-shouted._

_Devon looked at her, "But what about all that stuff that just happened with you? What about your dream?"_

_The fox girl waved him off, "That was different...if he can guarantee us new places and new people, that means I can do my act wherever I go, and maybe someone will notice me and I'll be famous!" she gushed, stars covering her eyes._

_The swordsman rolled his eyes, then turned back to Axe, "I'm in...if we have a chance of finding treasures like you say...I can't pass it up,". Axe nodded and clapped his hands together, then looked at Kirsty, who was still silent, "So...how about, Doc? You up for it?"_

-End Flashback-

"I thought you weren't gonna show up when we left on the ferry boat off the island,"

Kirsty smiled, "I had a difficult time choosing, to tell you the truth, but I'm glad I did...I've learned so much, and met so many great and wondeful people...," she kissed Devon's hand, "If I didn't leave, I don't think I'd be with you,"

"You'd be safe though," Devon sighed, "You could've stayed on the island and you could've lived your life, not having the Government's crosshairs on your back,"

"I also wouldn't know that Kyra was alive, I wouldn't have met Paulie and I wouldn't have found out about Scottie or any of this weird as hell Dragon business,"

The two of them went quiet, listening to any small noise made from nakama or the sea outside.

"Besides, if you hadn't taken the offer, there's a load more you wouldn't have discovered!" Kirsty poked him on the chest, "Your father's still around out here somewhere, that you're part of a powerful bloodline of warriors in the sky, that your own mother and father were nakama to Gold Roger himself...oh, and if you hadn't joined up, you may not have gone and saved Skypeia from that bitch and her goons,"

Devon couldn't help but smirk at his wife's memory of their adventures and discoveries, "Yeah, that's true I suppose,"

"He fought alongside us up there, he helped break us out of prison, and he followed me to Enies Lobby," Kirsty went on, "...Axe may not be the perfect captain, nor the most honest man, but when you really think about it, mostly everything he's done has been for us,"

* * *

Hours later, after the time limit had passed, the rest of the Axe-Head crew gathered in the dining room, every member being very quiet. Chizuru looked at each of them for a long moment, studying their expressions and body language. They were scared, they all were, and she couldn't blame them. Even Sora and Pingu, who had not seen the horrors of the island seemed to shiver.

They were all scared to death about what they had seen and what would have to be done and what could be lost in doing so.

"It's time guys," she said calmly, "You all have had plenty of time to think, so have you come to your decisions?"

They all nodded in silence.

"I won't lie to you, this is going to be the toughest thing we've ever had to do. We know that Axe has screwed us over more than once with lies and deception, but if you spend a few moments in his shoes, can you really blame him? He has been betrayed, battered and beaten, and almost killed by the ones he thought were his nakama. I'm sure he did what he did for the good of us all, and for that, I can forgive him and I know what I will do right now. But, after giving you all time to think about it, I want to hear what you've decided," she scanned the room, "I've said this is the hardest thing yet, and I mean it. Whoever goes is risking their very lives for nakama...like what happened back at Water 7, there may be some of us that won't be coming back from this...,"

The room went quiet.

Devon rose from his seat, "I'm not sure what's going on with this enemy of ours, but Axe has always been there for us, and if it weren't for him, I wouldn't know anything about my family," he raised his arm high, "I'm in,"

"So am I," Kirsty stood up, "There's still a lot of unanswered questions I have and by going, I know that I may not survive and leave without learning those answers. However, nakama is more important right now. I know he had problems with the Government, but Axe came for me and brought me back...," she shook her head and raised her hand, "I couldn't live with myself knowing that I let him and Azu die,"

"Azu may be a pervert drunk and Axe maybe a constant liar...but they're nakama, and that means that we look out for each other," DJ raised his hand.

"I'm with DJ-kun, but I swear to God that if I die, I'm coming back to haunt you all," Dusty swore as she raised her hand.

"You know my answer," Niri raised her hand.

Pingu and Sora joined in (more or less).

Austin raised his hand, ignoring the looks he got from the other crewmates, _One for all, and all for one!_

"Azu may have been a pain from time to time with his constant drinking and drunken acts of nakedness, and Axe may have been a pain in many of his own ways, but we just can't leave them to die like that...not with those monsters," Herman nodded and raised his large, red hand, "Count me in, Chizuru,"

Chizuru smiled and nodded.

"Then it's decided. We have one hour to load up on weapons and gear...and then we go back there and we bring our nakama back!"

"AYE!!"

* * *

**Kilnorc: Alright folks, long chapter and mostly flashbacks, but it was necessary. I was aware I never really showed how Herman got recruited back in Desert Storm...but there it is. Before the preview, here's something you should know about Niri's nightmare and that ugly as hell woman.**

**This is Agatha Slann, aka "Dreamweaver", a runaway pirate who lost her home to the Navy, worth about 120 million. She originally starred in SuperHurricane's Marine fanfic, and he gave her to Wolfen-Ways as a gift to use in the Bloodless Vampires and I know I said the crew was full...but how can I deny a gift of a friend to another friend?**

**The nightmare you saw had many references to _Nightmare on Elm Street_, particular _Part 3: Dream Warriors_, which had the skeleton girl and the bodies. Trust me, I know my films, mwahaha.**

**On the next chapter of Endless Nightmare...**

**Devon: Make sure you pack up the needed supplies, we don't know how long we'll be there or how it'll play out.**

**Chizuru: Niri, look at this. Is this the woman from your nightmare?**

**Dusty: I don't like it, but it looks like my miko spells are gonna come in handy here.**

**Niri: Let's give 'em hell!  
**

**Preparing for the Unholy War  
**

**DJ: A song? Well, I can try...  
**


	9. Preparing for the Unholy War

**Preparing for the Unholy War**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece.**

* * *

With the meeting over, it was time to gather supplies, weapons and ammunition for the oncoming battle before them. The others prepped their personal arsenals while Kirsty, Devon and Austin looked around the medical room for supplies that could be needed. They couldn't afford to get bogged down by the entire infirmary's supply, so they were packing the only supplies that could be taken.

"Make sure you pack up the needed supplies, we don't know how long we'll be out there or how it'll play out," Devon called out to his brother.

"Bandages, disinfectant, burn ointment...,"

"_Burn ointment?_" Devon popped his head up from the trapdoor that lead to their bedroom, "Why do we need burn ointment?"

"In case some certain nakama want to torch the freaks that attacked us and it gets out of hand," Kirsty explained, "You find those extra bags yet?"

Devon nodded and held up a few empty packs, "Good thing Galley-La gave us some extras before leaving Water 7,"

"Amen to that," Kirsty shut a cupboard closed and emptied her arms into one of the bags her husband was holding, "Alright, we got the basic things, so we need...," she snapped her fingers, "Surgical tools in case anyone needs something removed or stitched up!"

The _nittoryu_ user and his brother watched her move around the room.

"No offense, Kirsty, you know I know that you're a great doctor, but don't you have a healing power? I mean, with that, we really don't need stuff like that-,"

Kirsty stopped and turned on her heel to the brothers, "We can't always rely on that, Devon! We don't know how long it'll take us to get Axe and Azu back, and if I keep using my power every time someone gets a scratch, then I will use up too much energy, get tired and become vulnerable! I'm saving that for _extreme_ emergencies, do you understand that?!"

Both Devon and Austin nodded quickly, _Oh yeah, we got it alright!_

"Good, now c'mon, we still have more stuff to pack up,"

* * *

Back at the mansion, Kairi stared out at the dark beauty of Thriller Bark, a glass of rich, red drink in her hand. She took a slow sip from the glass and closed her eyes, enjoying the taste of it.

"Lovely, isn't it? An island hidden away in the darkness and thick fog of a patch in the Grand Line where people disappear all the time, never to return. You know, this would be an ideal place for people like me to stay around and make a living, picking off and robbing the fools that come around. Though, to do that, they'd all have to stay here and I don't think the big man would appreciate so many guests...unless they were usuable in Hogback's experiments," she turned away from the view and looked at the new view in front of her.

Bound to a large, iron, cross secured to the stone wall was her former Captain Axe. A strange, sticky, thread-like substance bound him to the cross, as did numerous oddly-colored chains. His head were lowered, and each of his arms were bound to an arm of the cross. She took another sip of her drink and made her way towards her captive ex-Captain.

"I must say, I've dreamed of having you on my wall, like some kind of trophy to make my greatness memorable everytime I look, but here I am, keeping you alive and well for a great man like Stein Madro," she shook her head, giggling darkly, "Funny how Fate works, wouldn't you say, my old friend?"

A loud knocking was heard at the door.

"Enter,"

The door creaked open and Kairi turned to see a pale woman with short, straight blonde hair walk into the room. She wore a black evening dress, an orange fur around her neck and heels. In addition to a pale complexion, the woman had large, doll-like eyes, numerous stitches, an interesting web-shaped pattern on one of her legs, and the number 400 in large print on her flesh.

This was Cindry, a servant of her hosts.

"What is it? I'm busy!"

* * *

"Shotgun shells, rifle and pistol rounds, dynamite for my launcher...," Niri looked through the multiple crates of weaponry and ammunition they had in storage aboard the Ocean Dreamer, "I can't get overburdened, or else I'll be screwed,"

While she looked around the crates, she failed to notice someone coming up behind her until she felt something land on her shoulder. Immediatly, Niri spun around, her pistol held out straight...pointing right at Chizuru's head. The psychic seemed unphased by teh close call of her death.

Niri sighed and lowered gun, "Dammit, Chizzy, _don't_ do that! At least not here, not now!"

"I'm sorry, Niri, I didn't mean to startle you, I only came to talk to you. Oh, and to give you this," Chizuru reached behind her and pulled out a long, beautiful knife with a gleaming blade, "I picked this up around Water 7 awhile back,"

"I don't need a kinfe,"

"Yes, you do, you don't know when your ammunitions going to run low and you're going to need another weapon on you," Chizuru flipped the knife around before holding it out to her again, "Besides, this will be quite effective against certain members of Kairi's crew,"

"How do you mean?"

"The blade is made from pure silver, melted down a bar of the precious metal. Normally, this would cost quite a bit, but I got lucky and bought it at a bargain because the shopkeeper was ignorant. You need this if you hope to do some serious damage against Toby. Legends about werewolves state that werewolves can be dealt incredible pain if hurt by silver materials, and evne killed if the blade comes into contact with vital organs such as the brain or heart,"

Niri looked at the knife for a while, nodded and took the blade from her nakama, "Thanks,"

"No problem," she looked around, "Find what you needed?"

"I thought I did, but since you brought up the weakness of silver against werewolves, I think I'll need a whole trunk of silver bullets to kill 'em,"

Chizuru couldn't help but smile, "I'm not sure if Axe packed any, but if he didn't, at least you have the knife. Keep that close, avoid Toby's claws and teeth, and you should be just fine,"

Niri just stared at her.

"It's amazing how real myths can be when you come across them, and it's very good to have read the myths so you're prepared for them when they cross your path,"

"Well, again, thanks," Niri went back to her search, "I'm good, Chizuru, I don't need help,"

"Actually, there's another reason why I'm here," Chizuru pulled a rolled up parchment from under her hat and laid it out flat against a nearby crate, "I thought your description of the woman from your dream sounded familiar, so I did some digging around Axe's room. You know, because he has so many posters about criminals stashed in there," she tapped the poster, "Niri, look at this. Is this the woman from your nightmare?"

Niri glanced down at the poster and froze.

The burnt, crusty flesh.

The hair. and the needles poking out of her head.

It was the woman from her dreams alright, and her eyes told Chizuru that her suspicions were confirmed. The navigator sighed and shook her head, "This is not good. If Kairi has this woman on her side, then things just got worse,"

Niri stared at the poster and read the print below the picture.

**WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE  
Agatha Slann aka "Dreamweaver"  
Reward: 120,000,000 Beli**

"An ugly bitch with a nice looking bounty," the former Marine shook her head, "Crazy things, huh? What do you know about her? And why is her picture a sketch instead of an actual photograph?"

Chizuru shook her head, "Unfortunately, I'm not very well informed on most of the crew of Kairi's as I am with the Captain and the First Mate, so I can't give any information except that she is a Devil Fruit user,"

"A what?! What fruit?"

"The Dream Dream Fruit," Chizuru looked down at the poster again, "If I had to guess, that allows the user to go into one's dreams and does who knows what,"

"Besides giving nightmares?" Niri muttered, but shook her head, "Listen, we have a name to go with that ugly mug, all we have to do is learn how to beat her. Any ideas?"

"Again, I may be a reader, but I haven't read that much, so I can't say anything about it. However, you may want to talk to Isaac, he may be able to shed some light on that for you,"

"How do you figure?"

"Because his Devil Fruit is also called the Dream Dream Fruit,"

Niri stared at her again, "Th-that's impossible, Chiz! There can not be two Devil Fruits of the same kind, it's just not possible!"

"Don't worry, it's not," Chizuru tapped her forehead, "I checked him out and it turns out that his Devil Fruit, while it _is_ similar to Agatha's, it is not the same,"

"But the name-?"

"He made that up himself," her friend waved her off, "He didn't know it's true name and just came up with Dream Dream Fruit. Who would've figured, eh?"

Niri nodded, "No kidding...,"

"Oh, before I leave to help the others," Chizuru looked around the storage area, "I saw Azu put a new toy for you around here to use, I think he was wanting to give it to ya as a surprise, but I think now's a better time than never,"

"Uh...?"

"Ah, here we go!" Chizuru walked over to a slightly opened crate and pushed the lid off. She bent over for a few moments, pulled something out and turned around for her nakama to see, "Trust me, I think you'll need this. Think you can carry this with all the other gear you're carrying?"

Niri gawked in awe at the beautifully crafted crossbow that Chizuru held in her arms. She had seem them before, but she never had one of her own. The crossbows were a bit slow to reload, but were well known for their accuracy and penetration of their arrows. Speaking of, Chizuru held up a small, thick quiver of crossbow bolts with very sharp, jagged tips on the end.

"Holy...,"

* * *

"Fosfosfosfos! You are indeed an extraordinary man, Zere!"

Zere Xader, also known as Stitches, rolled up his shirt sleeves after both Eliza and Hogback, one of the major allies they had made recently, finished up their lookover.

"Gee, thanks, Doc, my one goal in life to please a weirdo doctor who disappeared for ten years is _finally_ accomplished! I can die happy now," he muttered sarcastically, straightening his sleeves, "How does it look, Eliza?"

The beautiful blonde doctor with the large rack smiled at him, "As usual, you have healed rather quickly and you are still breathing," she leaned in close and planted a kiss on his cheek before moving to his ear, her voice dropping in volume, "I do a good job?"

Stitches chuckled, "_Very_ good...," he pulled away from her, "How's the big dumbass?"

"Still getting used to his modifications, but still among us," Eliza said with a shrug, "I'm so glad that I was able to test out those enhancements on Goheno, he should be much more deadlier in combat now,"

"Where is he, anyway?"

"Hell if I know, I'm just the doctor, I'm not that idiot's keeper,"

* * *

"I don't like it, but it looks like my miko spells are gonna come in handy here...," Dusty sighed as she stuffed her box of spells into a knapsack, "I don't even know most of them, just the stupid level one spells!" she threw a necklace of purification beads around her throat, "Man, we are so screwed!"

DJ, who had been practicing some of his techniques with Raikiri, stopped after swiping at the air and looked back at her, "Dusty-chan, we made a choice, and no matter what, we have to stick by it,"

"I know, I know!" her head slumped, the miko obviously not excited about the approaching battle at all, "It's what we chose, but I still don't like it. However, we got some strong as hell people to help us out, and we got some tricks up our sleeves to pull on those bastards!"

"What kind of tricks, Dusty-chan?"

Dusty grinned like a child as she held up two large bags of the sea-salt Herman collected from Water 7.

DJ sweatdropped, "I...don't understand...,"

"These freaks, both of that crew and those dead things on the island are obviously not human, but evil monsters! Well, demons, monsters, spirits, whatever you wanna call them, they're evil and when a miko, even if she doesn't know much about spells and rituals, needs to purify things, salt is always the top thing to use!"

"So, lemme get this straight," DJ cleared his thraot, "You have spells, skills, a Devil Fruit, and Rumble Balls at your disposal to kick their asses, but you're bringing along salt to purify the evil?"

Dusty nodded rapidly, "Uh-huh!"

The musician tilted his head, "Forgive me saying so, Dusty-chan, but the purifying with salt thing? That has to be one of the most ridiculous ideas I've ever heard. I remember telling the others on Kinmotsu about salt used in rituals, but mostly for good luck and warding off evil spirits...I _really_ doubt that's actually gonna help us kill any enemies,"

"It will!"

"Yeah, if we run into giant slugs along the way," DJ muttered, looking away.

"I heard that, and that's gross! Don't jinx us before we even start out!"

* * *

"Fresh water?"

"Check,"

"Dried meat, bread, and fruit?"

"Check, check, and check," Isaac looked up from the checklist to the Fish-Man chef as he went through the food storage, "If you don't mind me asking, why are you packing simple things?"

"I thought you had a cook for a sister?" Herman turned a stalk towards him, "This is gonna be big, no matter what happens, and I don't think we'll have time to sit down next to a roaring campfire and roast chicken breasts for dinner, so I'm packing the simple, yet filling and energy-producing foods to keep us going," the large chef stood up, "That's why,"

Isaac thought for a few moments, then nodded, "Sounds about right," he looked at the multiple bags that laid around, "So, each one is for one of the crew, huh?"

"One for each one going, even you," Herman threw him a bag from over his shoulder.

The blonde pirate quickly caught the bag, and looked at it for a bit, "...why are you acting nice to me all of a sudden, Herman? What about what happened earlier?"

"Now's not the time to worry about that, right now, we have to worry about surviving for Axe's and Azu's sakes," the Fish-Man stood up, "Alright, we're good on that...now I gotta go to the brewery and grab some of those bottles,"

Isaac frowned, "You're getting beer? What was that about energy and crap?"

"They're for Azu, and in his case, they give him his energy!"

"...oh,"

* * *

_Flame Dials, Heat Dials, Impact Dials, where is it?_ Austin looked around his bedroom, looking for something close to him, but he wasn't having any luck at all. He stepped away from his last area of searching and scratched his head, Where is it?!

_I had the thing in my sight ever since we left Water 7, but when I'm actually needing it, it's missing, so where the hell could it be?!_ he stood there for a few moments before dropping to his knees and looking under his bed. A smile broke out on his face as he reached under his bed and pulled out his new, but beloved hover board that Azu made for him.

_I get the feeling that this is gonna help me help you, you guys!_

Austin threw the board onto his bed and double-checked his inventory, _Breath Dials mixed with Flame Dials..._ he held up the two dials and pressed the button on the Breath Dial. Soon, a nauseating smell and dark puff of air poured out of the dial. Holding his arms out a bit, he pressed the button on the Flame Dial, releasing a torrent of fire that mixed with the gas and created an even bigger fireball.

Satisfied, Austin nodded, the grin still on his face.

_The others may have their Devil Fruits, swords and their guns, but I got two things that they don't: my Mantra and my own little homemade flamethrower. Oh yeah, I'm so gonna torch those bastards for messing with my nakama!_

The air from the Breath Dial still lingered in the room, making him gag a little.

_Note to self: **Never** release Azu's farts in a closed area..._

* * *

Their hour was up. The rest of the Axe-Heads, along with Isaac, the rogue Tenryuubito pirate gathered on the deck of the Ocena Dreamer, piling their supplies and preparing themselves for battle.

Niri had to move some of her weapons around, but in the end, she was able to carry them all, as well as the ammo. The guns were the most difficult to move around to a suitable area, while the silver knife was the easiest. She had that strapped to her shoulder for easy access.

Chizuru also had all of her blades at the ready, all of them thirsty for enemy blood while her special mind was focused on the looming confrontation.

Devon had all three of his swords strapped to his body, as DJ had Raikiri on his.

Kirsty flipped her sai around before storing them into their loops at her hips.

Dusty wore her purification beads around her neck, her scythes at her own hips and the knapsack of miko spells on her back.

Austin pulled his special Dial gloves over his hands, making sure they fit right, a determined, yet eager look on his face.

Pingu donned a wicked looking bandanna around his head while Sora stood beside him, staring hard at the island ahead of them.

Herman cracked his neck loudly, "This is it, boys and girls, no going back!"

They all nodded.

"Let's give 'em hell!" Niri cried, taking the lead, "For nakama!"

"FOR NAKAMA!!"

* * *

In a part of the dark forest, a lone figure walked calmly through the thick trees and bushes, the mansion it's destination. As it made it's way to the mansion, large, hairy forms leapt out of the darkness, drooling and snarling, their eyes glowing red.

The figure came to a halt.

"Looky here...," one of the beasts chortled, "Fresh meat!"

"Raw meat...,"

The figure looked at each one of them, "You're dead,"

A blinding flash of light illuminated the small area as echoes and the smell of powder went into the air. The figure continued on it's way, walking past the two fresh lycanthrope corpses that lay on the dark soil, their blood spreading outward.

"It's going to take more than two furballs to stop me from my mission,"

* * *

"Captain? Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know you were having breakfast,"

Kairi looked up at Tobias, the young boy that brought the Axe-Heads to the mansion earlier.

"It's alright, Toby, I didn't start yet," she beckoned him to her, "Come, come, come,"

Tobias slowly made his way to the female captain, glancing at the struggling, bound and gagged female that she had in front of her, her wrists and neck exposed.

"I...just came to tell you that Agatha made contact with the Axe-Heads, like you predicted,"

"Good to know," Kairi nodded, "I figured she would, she's pretty quick. Then again, with no body, one can be very quick, now can't they?"

Tobias nodded, "Yes, ma'am. Anyway, that's all I needed to report, I should get going..,"

"Alright. Oh, before you go, I have a message to our lower-ranking members,"

"What's that, Captain?"

Kairi leaned forward, a serious look in her eyes, "If any one of them so much as bites our 'guests', expect to be fed to Anubis. Do you have that?"

"Yes ma'am,"

"Repeat it,"

"If you bite any of our 'guests', expect to be fed to Anubis,"

"Good boy, now go on, let me eat in peace,"

Tobias left the room and Kairi looked back at her terrified buffet in front of her. She brushed a few strands of hair out of the wide eyes as they looked up at her and smiled.

"It's nothing personal, my dear, it's just that you're nothing more than food to me,"

With that, Kairi opened her mouth, revealing a pair of sharp teeth before lunging at the bound female. Muffled screams filled the air as she bit deep into the woman's throat, letting blood spray outward and dribble down their flesh. The captive meal screamed behind her gag and struggled fiercely, but after a moments, the struggling came to a halt and Kairi just kept feeding off her. When she was done, Kairi pulled back and licked her lips clean as she stared at the dead, but still horrified eyes of her latest victim.

Then she belched.

"Oh, pardon me...,"

* * *

"So, here we are, a crew brought together by a liar and a mystery. He has always saved our lives, and now, we are off to save his as well as another of our nakama. This could very well be our final battle, or perhaps our finest hour,"

Dusty turned around, planting hands on her hips, "We need a song!"

The others just stopped short of the entrance and stared at her.

"That's right, a song!" Dusty folded her arms, nodding, "It's only right to have a heartfelt song before an epic battle such as this! DJ-kun!"

The brunette musician shifted a little and scratched his head, "A song? Well, I can try...,"

"Go for it!" Dusty gave a large thumbs-up, "We ain't leaving until we get the right song and...hey, where are you guys going?!" she cried as most of the crew began walking by her.

"To kick some ass," Niri called back, "Now get your ass in gear, the song can wait,"

"Aw...you guys suck! You're gonna regret not having a song!"

* * *

**Kilnorc: Oh man, that one was long and a bit rough -cracks knuckles- but I'm good. I did my best here, and I think I did rather well. As for Dreamweaver's bounty poster, I wasn't sure how that would work considering what I know about her, so I just went with an idea...hope that's cool? Wonder who it was that killed those two in the forest?**

**On the next chapter of Endless Nightmare...**

**Dusty: So glad we took the high road, now we don't have to worry about that three-headed bastard!**

**Devon: I didn't notice it before, but this forest...there's something not right about it.**

**Niri: Who the hell are you guys?!**

**??: You have to be careful, there are foul things out there!**

**Dead Forest**

**Niri: Someone knew how to kill these things...keep an eye out!**


	10. Dead Forest

**Dead Forest**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece.**

**--  
**

"Man, I_ hate_ heights!"

"Just be glad this was even an option! You want to face that thing in the trench again?!"

"No...,"

"Then thank Chizuru for helping out!"

Dusty looked down at the docking area from the top of the wall that seperated the dock area with the main part of the island. She looked around and nodded, grinning from ear to ear.

"So glad we took the high road, now we don't have to deal with that three-headed bastard!" she turned to Chizuru, who was holding a pack as large sheets of paper floated from below and into the pack, "Thanks, Chizuru!"

The navigator smiled, "Not a problem, kit. I'm actually glad I'm able to practice my new ability, though I wish it were under better circumstances," she looked down, "Still, not a bad test, making such a large stairway out of sheets of paper...I'm surprised that no one fell off. That would've been a nasty mess,"

Isaac facefaulted and turned to Niri, "A bit morbid, isn't she?"

"Not very often, but you get used to her," the sniper murmured as she pulled a pair of binoculars from her pack, "Alright, let's see, where do we go from here?"

As she scanned the area, Niri found it difficult to get their bearings exactly. She knew they were right at the docks, and the mansion where Axe and Azu were being held was in the middle of the island, but the lack of light, as well as the presence of thick fog hindered the recon part of their mission.

"I don't get something,"

"What's that, Dusty-chan?"

"If Niri still has that thief kit from Carmen-,"

"I do...,"

"Why the hell didn't you use it on the way up here, I mean, if you have it, why not use it?"

Niri lowered the binocs and turned to the miko, "I'm saving it for the right occasion," she turned back to her work, "I just kinda wish I actually had more time to get used to the tools in there before now," she shook her head, "...and I call myself a thief,"

Isaac shrugged, "Hey, if it makes you feel any better, Taeko's a thief as well, but he's a complete asshole, despite his skills,"

"Gee, thanks...I think,"

--

_God, this hurts so much, I don't care what they did to keep me alive, it just hurts so frickin' much! I can't even keep my eyes open and give The Evil Eye to the bastards...I just hope Azu's still living, otherwise that's another life I'll have to add to my list of guilt._

His eyes shut and body unable to move because of his bindings, Axe remained on the cross attached tot he wall, motionless as a corpse. The chains he felt around him had a familiar tingling sensation, he had felt them before, more than a few times in his life. The sticky thread, though, he couldn't put a finger on what it was.

_Okay, so let me assess the situation..._ he thought to himself,_ Azu and I came here to do what needs to be done, and we get our asses royally kicked, then we get patched up so we stay alive, and now, I'm tied to a frickin' cross by some weird sticky shit and seastone chains! That's just fantastic..._

Footsteps reached his ears.

_Great, the Bloody Bitch is back...what does she want now?_

"My, how the mighty have fallen so easily," an unfamiliar voice, a woman's voice, said quietly as a hand caressed his face, "To think, a rookie on the Grand Line not only gets overthrown by his former crewmates, but when he finally fights them again after so long, and even though he took on the World Government, he still gets his ass kicked by those same crewmates," the hand stopped and went away, "I know you can open your eyes, boy, so go ahead...,"

Axe winced and slowly opened his eyes. His vision was blurry at best, but he could see the strange woman in front of him...sort of.

"Who...are you?" he asked slowly, still filled with pain and fatigue.

"No one for the moment, but I know very well who you are, Samuel D. Axe, and I must say, that considering the blood that runs through you, I'm surprised that you were beaten so easily when fighting these people,"

"What...do you know...about this?" he snapped, looking angry, "You know nothing...!"

"I know more than you think, boy," the woman chuckled, "I must admit, you have their features. I think you get your hair from your mother, I know your father doesn't have hair like that, it was such a mess,"

"You knew my parents...?"

"Oh, I should hope so, considering what they did was a big event in our lives,"

"...our...?"

"Why, _your_ family, of course," the woman said with another chuckle.

"My family...? They were...wiped out...,"

A tsk'ing filled the room, and echoed in his ears, "It's a shame you don't know the full story of your heritage, Axe, it's a real shame. I'd tell you right now, but I'm not sure if I'm the one to tell you. Then again, if I did tell you, you probably wouldn't believe me...,"

"Wha...?"

"I think I'll wait until the situation turns into a more favorable one," the blurry woman waved at him and walked out of sight, "I'll see you later, boy,"

"H-Hey! Get back here!"

The sound of a door closing was heard and Axe knew he was alone again.

_Who the hell was that and what the hell was she talking about?_

--

"Why'd you stop?"

Devon looked around the fog-filled woods, having come to a complete stop after leading his nakama towards the mansion. They decided not to take the dirt path, in case anyone was watching it, and though it would probably be dangerous, they chose the forest to go through, just in case their enemies could see through the darkness and fog, though that seemed unlikely.

"Devon?" Niri walked up to him, eyes staring ahead, "What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure, but...," Devon's eyes darted from side to side, "I didn't notice it before, but this forest...there's something not right about it,"

"Gee, could it possibly be it's on an island filled with monsters and not only that, but it's in the usual setting of a horror story?" the former Marine asked, sarcasm dripping off every word she said.

Devon ignored the smart remark, "I'm just getting a weird feeling,"

"Are we being watched?" Niri reached for one of her many guns.

"I'm not sure, but I wouldn't put it past these bastards...," Devon gripped Water Moon and turned around to face his curious-looking nakama, "Listen up, boys and girls. With Axe gone for now, I am in charge, as I'm the next in the chain of command. If I have to go and do something, or should something happen to me, Niri here is in charge," he nodded to the gunner, "She's proven herself to be a good leader, so I have faith in her,"

DJ raised his hand.

"What is it, Macleod?"

"We already know, Devon, remember? This sorta thing happened with Foxy and Kinmotsu, you and Axe were out of commission and he put Niri in charge. We know she's good at leading the group, and we have faith in her as well,"

"Macleod,"

"Yeah?"

"Shut the hell up,"

"Oi!"

"Now, look," Devon cleared his throat, "We are missing two of our strongest members, and these people obviously have the element of surprise, as well as knowledge of the area on their side. This puts us at a disadvantage, so what we need to do is not get separated from the group. If we must split up, we are to split up into groups of at least two people, we do not go off alone, do you understand?"

They all nodded.

"Good. Secondly, I know we could get worn out with our supplies and with what's ahead, so before we think of a battle plan to go and save our friends, we need to find a place to put our stash down and use as a base camp for this,"

"You want us...to camp out here?" Dusty asked slowly as a loud hooting sound was heard, making her jump a little, "Damn owl, I thought they only came out at night!"

Chizuru patted her on the shoulder, "It's always dark here, they must think it's night all the time. But," she turned to Devon, "The kit has a point. This is a dangerous place, Devon, we know nothing of the area, and we don't know what's out there. How do we ensure our safety?"

"I'm not sure about complete protection, but I have at least two guidelines. One of which is that we have one or two people keeping watch,"

"What's the other one?" Kirsty asked him.

"That's where our little miko comes in," Devon walked over and looked at a surprised Dusty, "Kit, I know you don't care for that given your family's connection, but you're the only one I know of that could give protection for the whole group. Mikos and priests are known for their barriers and I know from you're bragging about your past battles that barriers saved your life more than once. What I need you to do is that when we find a suitable camp area and get settled, we need a barrier put up around the entire camp,"

Dusty looked unsure and turned away, "I don't even know if I can make one that big, or that strong,"

"You have to at least try, kit," Devon rested his hands on her shoulders, "We need a base before we go in, a place where we can regroup and we need a barrier to keep us safe!"

"B-But, even if I do get one up, everything that's touched one of my barriers so far has been rejected!" Dusty protested, "If I do that, and you guys are coming in for protection against God knows what out here, you could be stuck outside of the barrier!"

Devon shook his head, his eyes focused onto Dusty's, "We have no other choice, Dusty...we need this, it's our first step into getting our nakama back. Please...,"

Chizuru leaned over to Niri, "This is a rare moment,"

"What is?" Niri whispered.

"Him not only asking Dusty for a favor, but asking her with the word 'please', you know?"

Niri gave a nod, "Yeah, that is rare...think it's a sign of the Apocalypse?" she asked right before snapping her head to the side, a look of full alert crossing her face.

"Guys, we got company!"

--

"Okay, so what're you planning to do with this guy, Eliza?"

The Bloodless Vampire's surgeon snapped on a pair of latex gloves and looked at the restrained and nearly nude form of Azu.

"For one thing, I'm going to study his exterior, maybe get a feel of what he can do, then I'll go inside and see what I can dig up," the blonde doctor leaned forward and looked at Azu's body closely, "He's obviously honed his body for a good number of years, and has also seen a lot of combat," her eyes wandered to his shoulders where she saw one word tattooed into each shoulder.

"_Ocho_..._Dios_...," she murmured slowly, "_Ocho Dios_?" she turned to Stitches, "Any idea what this means?"

"It means 'Eight Gods', this guy's a student of Drunken Boxing and the Eight Gods are what the style is modeled after," Sticthces cracked his neck, "At least, that's what I hear from certain members of our crew,"

"Interesting," Eliza went back to her examination, "I hear stories from Goheno that this man is an alcoholic-,"

"As most people are who study Drunken Boxing, but those people are rare nowadays,"

"I wouldn't mind getting inside to look at this man's liver, see what condition it's in. It'd be interesting to see the effects of alcohol abuse on a pirate who uses liquor to fight," she reached over and pulled a tray of clean, but wicked-looking surgical tools over to her, "I wish I could get into Axe's body, I'd love to see what's in there, but since we have orders not to do that from the Captain, I'll settle with this slob,"

Eliza smiled and looked for a place to start, but as she did, she noticed a few of Azu's fingers twitching. Putting on a mask of sympathy, Eliza turned her head to Azu's face, looking into his open, and very aware eyes. He was awake this whole time, but completely immobile save his twitching digits.

She reached over and patted him on the forehead, "Don't worry, it's just exploratory surgery, it won't last long and you won't feel a thing!" she grabbed a scalpel and began to cut into Azu's abdomen. The shipwright let out a muffled scream from behind paralyzed lips, his eyes shut tight.

"Oh, that's right!" Eliza sighed a bit too dramatically, "I just put in something to keep you still, I didn't put anything in for the pain! Silly me!"

Stitches couldn't hold back his laughter as Eliza resumed her work, Azu's blood squirting into the air, splashing against her clothes and skin, the doctor looking completely unaffected by the action.

"You are going ot be _such_ a joy to work on...," she glanced at Stitches, "I just hope I don't kill him in the process!"

Again, Stitches laughed.

--

"Who the hell are you guys?!"

"Maybe they're working with that Kairi chick!"

"Who else would be out here?"

"Good point, DJ-kun!"

"Stay close together, folks!"

The Axe-Heads quickly formed a tight circle, their backs to one another as a large group of people came out of the dark areas of the forest. They were pirates, that was easy to see, and they looked ragged, as if they had been through some rough times. Still, their appearances didn't make the Axe-Heads lower their guard.

"Who are you?" Devon demanded as the crowd surrounded them, "As a warning, we're tougher than we look, so you even think of trying anything, and we'll kick your asses!"

Two men, one large wearing a mask over his head and the other with curly hair in a striped shirt held up their hands.

"We're not who you think we are!"

"Yeah, that's right!"

Devon frowned, "Who do you think we think you are then?"

Dusty turned to Chizuru, "That confused me...,"

"Shh, kit,"

The man in the mask waved his hands, "Look, we're not part of the groups that live on this island! We're victims, just like yourselves!"

"Devon," Niri tapped his arm, "Check it out, beneath their feet!"

Devon glanced down and was surprised to see that not one of these people had shadows, just like Jinko and Taeko.

"We're victims, like we said!" the curly-haired man insisted, "Please, listen to us!"

The First Mate and sharpshooter looked long and hard at the two of them, then looked at each other for a bit, then turned back to them.

"Alright, you got our attention,"

--

"Man, how did I get lost? It's probably because of all this fog...where the hell are they?" Isaac sighed and looked around for the Axe-Heads, whom he had lost sight of some time ago, "Where the hell am I, for that matter?"

The blonde rogue Tenryuubito looked around, staring at what appeared to be some kind of garden, though it looked odd, even for a garden. He was very close, like right outside the Mansion, but he had no idea how he got there, exactly. All he knew was that he was with the Axe-Head pirates on their mission to get back their nakama, and through some small events in the journey, they were split up.

"Psst!" a low voice hissed, "Isaac-kun!"

Startled, the blonde jumped a little and looked around, "Who's there?!"

"Up here!" the voice called.

Isaac followed the voice and looked up a tree to see Jinko, the assassin from before sitting in the tree, out of sight. He walked over and looked up at her, "What are you doing up there?"

Jinko held a finger to her lips, "Be quiet! Get up here before the zombies get back!" she lowered her hand out, "C'mon!"

Not wanting to get caught by those, Isaac grabbed her hand and quickly climbed into the tree and settled on the same branch as the woman assassin.

"Good to see you're alright, Jinko-san!"

She nodded, "Same here. Are the others alright?"

Isaac shook his head, "No, they're not! Azu-san and Axe-san got captured!"

Jinko's eyes widened, "Wha-?"

"You didn't know? I thought you were with them!"

"But, only for a short time! I thought I'd find my shadow a lot faster if I moved around on my own, so I've been sneaking around, staying out of sight!" Jinko sat back against the tree bark, "Are they okay at least?"

Isaac shook his head, "From what I heard, they were beaten up really badly! They were hanging from a ceiling all bloody and everything!"

"Damn," Jinko rubbed her eyes, "I don't believe this!"

"That's not all," Isaac continued, "When they returned to the ship, the others decided to storm the place and wage war on these assholes in an attempt to get them back!"

Jinko looked right at him and smiled a little bit, "They're going to fight for nakama...,"

"Yeah, but chances are they'll get killed," Isaac protested, "I've seen what one of these guys was capable of, and if they were able to beat this kid, then-,"

"Oh please, Shidyk-kun was able to beat him-,"

"But he's the World's Greatest Assassin, these guys aren't! Wait a minute...," Isaac looked around, as if noticing something for the first time, "Where's Taeko? I know he disappeared from the group before, but you didn't catch up with him?!"

Jinko sighed and nodded, "I did...but he ditched me shortly after,"

-Flashback-

_"Okay, let's look for our shadows,"_

_"Yeaaaah, we could do that, but...,"_

_Jinko turned on the thief, "But what?"_

_"We can look for treasure!" Taeko pointed at the mansion, "This guy has to be loaded!"_

_"Our shadows are more important that treasure! We can go after that later!"_

_Taeko scoffed, "Whatever, Braidy, have fun looking on your own,"_

_Before she could stop him, Taeko disappeared out of sight._

_"H-Hey, wait!"_

-End Flashback-

"...and that's the last I saw of him," Jinko finished.

Isaac slapped himself in the face, "Why am I not surprised?"

"Does he do that often?"

"He does it all the time, you'll pretty much have to corner him in order to get him to stay,"

Jinko sighed, "Anyway, after I lost him, i decided to do some recon, and...," she trailed off, "Here I am. What about you?"

"I got lost from the group,"

--

Though they were suspicious (with VERY good reason) of the large group of people they found in the woods, the Axe-Heads (with most thanks belonging to Chizuru), realized that they weren't with Kairi or anyone that might cause them harm on the island. It turns out, they were a group called the Rolling Pirates, a pirate crew from the New World and they were all without their shadows. An old man with a large wound (whom Dusty immediately thought of as a zombie) called Spoil, was the leader of a group called Thriller Bark's Victim Association, and a rather ugly woman (who asked just about everyone in the group to marry her, only to get shot down) was Captain Lola, leader of the Rolling PIrates.

They told everything they knew about the island to the Axe-Head Pirates, including how their shadows were stolen, who was behind it, why they were being stolen, and what they knew about Kairi's crew, who had not been there for very long, but whose members had terrorized them on occasion. When they were finished, the Axe-Heads decided to go back to their mission.

Spoil tried to stop them, "You have to be careful, there are foul things out there! You can't go rushing into these things!"

Devon glanced at the old man, "We've seen what these freaks are made of already, ossan...if they didn't scare us off before, they won't scares us off now,"

"If they don't scare you off, they will kill you!" Spoil countered, "Please, don't rush into this, you have to value your lives!"

"But we also have to worry about our nakama's lives," Niri shot back, looking straight at the ossan, "They are in there, right now!" she pointed to the mansion, though it was barely visible through the treetops, "They could be dying or something worse in there! Nakama don't abandon nakama, so don't think you can deter us, ossan!"

Kirsty nodded, "She's got a point. Believe me, I've tried once upon a time,"

"Ditto," Dusty nodded as well, "In fact, it seems to be a theme for this crew. It's either 'Everyone has secrets and never tells anyone' or 'Everyone tries to get everyone to leave them behind in order to save themselves'...anyone else notice that, or is it just me?"

"CAPTAIN LOLA! CAPTAIN LOLA!"

The ugly woman turned away from the conversation to see the Risky Brothers, the mask wearing and curly-haired men that found the Axe-heads running up to the group, freaked out looks on their faces.

"What's wrong, you two?"

"We found something!"

"You need to see this! Everyone does!"

-A short time later...-

"Oh...God...,"

"Nasty,"

"What the hell...are these?"

Niri bent knelt down and looked at two large corpses that lay on the dirt of the semi-dead forest. They were larger than most people, and a lot hairier, too. At first glance, one would assume they were just animals, but upon closer inspection, they discovered that they were werewolves, just like Toby.

"Looks like more of the werewolf legend is true," Chizuru thought aloud, "Also seems that Toby's been making a pack for himself,"

"Yeah, but for how long and how many are in this pack?" Devon nudged a corpse with his foot, making it roll over, "What killed them?"

Kirsty winced as she looked at the wounds, "If the legends were true, then they were killed by silver. Specifically?" she tilted the head of one of the dead wolfmen to show a very large hole in it's skull, "A silver bullet to the head,"

"Where are the bullets?"

Grimacing, Kirsty grabbed a pair of tweezers from her medical bag and dug around the skull of the wolfman she was looking after and with a sickening squishing, she pulled out a used bullet that seemed to shine, despite lack of light and the amount of blood, fur, and brain matter on it.

"That's silver alright," Niri pulled out her knife and compared her blade to the spent round, "Someone knew how to kill these things...," she looked back at the group, "Keep an eye out! We're not alone here!"

"News Flash, Niri, we already know that!" Dusty shook her head, "It must've been one of the others. Jinko, Taeko, or maybe even Axe or Azu?"

"No, none of them use guns. There's someone else here fighting these things," Niri sheathed her knife.

"How do you know it's not Kairi or Toby, offing the more annoying of their crew?"

"I highly doubt anyone in a crew would keep something that could kill a certain crewmate in an instant," Niri muttered before turning to the Victim's Association, "Judging by the wounds, they haven't been dead long. Did you guys hear any gunshots recently?"

The group shook their heads.

"Two monsters are shot and no one hears a thing?" Niri turned to her nakama, "This place just keeps getting stranger and stranger,"

"No shit...,"

"Hey, anyone else notice Isaac's missing?"

--

Hidden somewhere in the mansion, the woman that spoke to Axe was currently speaking to someone through a Den Den Mushi.

"No, he doesn't know anything about her, but I don't think that's a priority right now,"

**"Just keep an eye on him and the Bloodless Vampires, Eva, we keep hearing rumors about the both of them, and until we get more information, we need to keep tabs on them,"**

"Keep an eye, hm? Should be easy, considering he's tied to a giant cross,"

A dark chuckle came from the other end of the Den Den Mushi, **"Ironic, isn't it?"**

"A Cross on a cross...," Eva murmured quietly, "I suppose it is, even if he's only half,"

--

**Kilnorc: -sits back in chair- I'll let the shock of this latest revelation sink in...**

**On the next chapter of Endless Nightmare...**

**Jeremiah: He's got both their features, I won't deny that.**

**Duke: Always have to be sure with science, you never go with your gut, hm?**

**??: Who knew one of the kids we were looking up was was one of us?**

**??: I remember her, a good number of us still do.**

**Blood Ties**

**??: Why do I have bad feeling about this?**


	11. Blood Ties

**Blood Ties**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece, nor do I own any Cross members except for Victoria and Rose.**

--

**"No, he doesn't know anything about her, but I don't think that's a priority right now,"**

"Just keep an eye on him and the Bloodless Vampires, Eva, we keep hearing rumors about the both of them, and until we get more information, we need to keep tabs on them,"

**"Keep an eye, hm? Should be easy, considering he's tied to a giant cross,"**

Jeremiah Cross chuckled darkly, "Ironic, isn't it?"

**"A Cross on a cross..****.I suppose it is, even if he's only half,"**

"True. Still, keep an eye on things,"

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to call the others about this, but I want to make sure. See if you can get a blood sample or something, Duke can be there and back here easy with his power,"

"You got it,"

Jeremiah hung up the Den Den Mushi and leaned back in the chair, his feet propped up on the desk he was sitting at, a couple of papers in his hands. He looked long at the posters, thoughts going every which way in his mind.

"Jericho and Melanie...," he looked hard at the two older posters before looking at the newer poster, "This is your son? How interesting, I thought he looked a bit familiar when I first met him in Jaya," he nodded slowly, "He's got both their features, I won't deny that, but I can't be too sure about his blood relations to us until I have a blood sample to look over,"

"Is that really necessary?"

Jeremiah turned in his chair to face Duke, who was leaning against his doorway, "Do you have a problem with it, Duke?"

"None at all, but I can't help but wonder why you do that,"

"You know why,"

"Yeah, but still!" Duke pushed off the doorway and walked up to the other Cross member, "So what's the next move?"

"Hm?"

"Oh c'mon, like this little bit of information hasn't gotten those cogs in your twisted head working, Jeremiah," Duke put his hands in his pockets, "Seriously, what do you want to do, go over there and save him?"

Jeremiah laughed, "Waste my time and energy on saving someone who very well could not be a true Cross? Duke, please,"

"You're right, what was I thinking?" the other Cross muttered, scratching his head, "We should at least contact the others, let them know about this. No matter what the truth is with that kid, it's worth telling everyone else about it,"

"That's true," Jeremiah nodded and reached for the Den Den Mushi on his desk, "So very true...,"

--

**Somewhere in the Grand Line..**.

"Are you serious?" Tall Cross asked into the receiver of the Den Den Mushi, smoke escaping his nostrils, "You guys sure?"

**"Well, it's a distinct possibility, but I won't be a hundred percent sure until-,"**

**"Always have to be sure with science, you never go with your gut, huh?"** Duke interrupted Jeremiah on the other end.

Tall shook his head as he watched Road from a distance, "So let me get this straight. One of the biggest rookie or so names that have popped up in the past five years is not only related to us, but he's Melanie's brat?"

**"More or less," **Duke said, not wanting Jeremiah to go into his scientific proof speech again, **"Eva's with him right now, making sure nothing bad happens to him. You got his bounty poster, right?"**

"Yeah, along with some others," Tall rummaged through his nearby bag and pulled out a wad of wanted posters, "Nice bounty for a kid his age. Hell, he's got even more of a bounty than Jason!" he laughed a little bit, "This is going to injure his pride,"

**"Who knows...,"**

"So, what do we do, guys?" Tall asked, looking back at Road, "We lay out the red carpet, or what?"

**"We'll have to wait and see, Tall, we can't do anything without knowing the facts, first,"**

**"I'm telling you, he's one of us, Jeremiah! Admit it!"**

**"Not without the facts,"**

**"For the love of...Tall, this is why being a scientist kinda guy is bad for you, you lose instinct and have to go with information on every little thing!"**

Tall rolled his eyes, hung the Den Den Mushi and began to walk over to Road.

"Oi, Road, you wanna hear something big?"

--

"Thanks for the information,"

A shirtless, heavily tattooed man hung up the Den Den Mushi he had on him and turned around to two attractive women that were sitting behind him. Matrim, or Mat for short, Cross crossed one of his jean clad legs and scratched his neck thoughtfully, "You two hear that, Rose? Victoria?"

Rose Cross, also known as the Iron Maiden, was a beautiful, but also intimidating woman. While she had a body to die for: light skin, a head of long, beautiful blonde hair, and a body of curves, she was far more deadly than she appeared. Unlike most women, she dressed like a man most of the time, complete with jacket, slacks, all of that. She even had a pistol, which she was very good at using, hidden under her jacket, while she had an impressive looking rapier at her belt. It wasn't one of those special _Wazamono_ swords that dotted the Grand Line, but she was still quite deadly with it.

Victoria Cross (who was often called Kitten by Rose) was equally beautiful and deadly in combat. She knew how to handle herself quite well in both hand to hand and long ranged combat, the latter being credited to the large rifle cannon she usually carried on her back. Despite her appearance, she too was quite strong. Beneath her black, Marine-esque outfit, Victoria's body was honed to a point where she could fight well and lift at least 120 pounds easily. Besides being good with a rifle, as well as very strong in close-combat, Victoria was also trained in survival skills, meaning that she could probably last much longer out in the wild than most people could.

Unlike Rose, however, Victoria wasn't a natural Cross. Hell, she wasn't even related by blood to them. She just changed her name and hoped to be accepted into their twisted clan because she wanted to be with Rose. Their strength and skills in the field made them reliable members of the clan, but there was one fact that could possibly hinder their whole partnership.

That fact was that they were lesbians and they were in love with one another.

"I heard that, Mat," Victoria pulled out Axe's poster from a folder she had on the table in front of her and looked it over carefully, "Who knew one of the kids we were looking for was one of us?"

"What I would like to know is how could Melanie's son could go live through his life without being detected by the Marines," Rose murmured, "The only bit of news that was given about him was after Enies Lobby. The son and possibly only other survivor of the Samuel Clan aside from his parents,"

Mat scratched his tattooed stomach and sat down in front of them, "The Government probably didn't know Melanie was a Cross, Rose. After all, the only thing revealed on her bounty poster was 'Longshot', you remember?"

"That could be true, but I don't believe the Government could've missed her being a Cross," Rose shook her head, "The Government's usually very good at their intelligence gathering, so this still bugs me,"

Victoria shrugged, "What can we say? The Government's filled with dumbasses,"

Mat reared his head back and laughed.

"But, I do have a question," Victoria turned to Rose, "Who is Melanie? This is the first I'm hearing about her?"

Rose smiled, "I remember her, a good number of us still do,"

"Well?"

The older Cross folded her arms, "It was a long time ago, Kitten. Melanie was older than most of us, and though she wasn't directly related to us, like a brother or a sister, she was like one to us,"

"So...what was she?"

"I think she was a cousin," Rose shrugged, "I don't remember a lot of the details, just my memories. What I do remember was that when it was needed, she looked after us, the younger Cross clan members, and even taught us a lot of things. She was very strong, and she was very talented with a longbow," Rose's face turned to one of content, as if she was remembering a particularly good memory, "She even helped me get my toy doll back every now and then,"

Mat snorted and looked away, "She almost shot my nuts off with that arrow of hers,"

Victoria covered her mouth to keep from laughing out loud.

"When we heard that the Samuel Clan was wiped out by the Government all those years ago, a lot of us were hurting for a while. Still, I'm glad that she's back," Rose pulled out Melanie's poster and looked at it fondly, "I wonder how she's doing now? If she hasn't been in the news until now, she must've been living a comfortable life. In fact, I bet she and that bastard husband of hers are living it up right now,"

"What's wrong with her husband?"

"That's another story for another time, Kitten,"

--

"Papa! Papa! Is it true?!"

Jason Cross, also known as "The Striker" turned his head to his daughter Amelia. Jason was an impressive man, what with his intimidating appearance, his combat skills, his strength and even the wicked spear "Gaebulg" that could cut through metal like a hot knife through butter. He ran a hand through his brown hair, which was dotted and streaked randomly with red, while his scarred and blind eyes stared at his daughter Amelia.

Said daughter looked like the image of a little princess. She wore a beautiful dress, complete with over-the-knee socks and an apron, and even had her dark hair tied with a ribbon in the back of her head. Despite the innocent look, she was just as dangerous and wicked as her father and most of the Cross Family.

"Seems to be true, sweetheart," he smiled, "But who knows, it might not be. Like Jeremiah said, we'd have to wait until he's sure. But if it is true, imagine what those who follow Fate would say,"

"What would they say, Papa?"

"A boy born from two powerful bloodlines takes on the Government with another nuisance and uses his rage against the said Government like a wildfire...," Jason smiled, "Oh, I'm sure they'd say a _lot_,"

--

**Somewhere in the New World...**

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Wraith sighed as he shook his head, his face hidden by his Revolutionary mask. He stood in front of a large prison cell where two people were heavily beaten and chained to the wall, their uncleaned wounds and untreated injuries still showing from the darkness.

The two beaten prisoners were a man and a woman.

The man usually stood at about six feet, and he had a well-toned body covered in old scars in addition to the fresh injuries he had sustained days before, when he and the woman were brought here by Black Crow himself. His messy black hair was matted against his head with dirt, grime and caked blood.

The woman's black hair was usually neat and brushed, but after her run-in with Black Crow, her hair and her body were a mess, just like the man next to her. She suffered just as many wounds as he did, but it seemed to take more of a toll on her than his did.

"How are they, Wraith?"

The young Revolutionary tensed and turned to see Black Crow standing behind him, looking at the prisoners.

"They're still alive, if that's what you're asking, sir,"

"Good," Crow nodded, "Gotta keep them alive,"

"Can't we treat their wounds? I mean, if we don't, something could get infected, or something and they could die before he-,"

"I know how to take care of prisoners, Wraith," Crow cut him off and glared at him from behind his mask.

Wraith gulped and looked away, "Sorry, sir,"

He knew what would happen if he angered this particular Revolutionary.

"Don't worry, lad, I know what I'm doing," Crow patted him on the shoulder, "They'll still be alive when I meet up with that brat, I'm sure of it," he removed his arm from Wraith's shoulder and approached the cell, "If you just came with me when I asked, I wouldn't have had to do this," he said quietly, "But either way, you would've come with me, you two. You just have to live in that dingy little place, sore all over and bloody just because you took the hard choice,"

The man lifted his head and gave him a deathglare, "Fuck you, Crow...,"

Crow smiled, "Still have some fire in you, which is good. I just hope your son has that very same fire within him," he turned away and back to Wraith, "Keep an on them,"

"Yessir,"

After Crow left, Wraith looked back at the angry and beaten couple that were chained in front of him. He sighed and hung his head, disappointed at what had to be done. Things had come to, and passed a point of no return and the consequences that were going to come from this weren't very pretty.

He looked back up at the battered forms of Samuel D. Jericho and Melanie Cross, parents of his pirate friend.

_I'm sorry, Axe...I warned you that people would be involved whether they wanted to be or not..._

--

**Kilnorc: HOLY (BEEP), not good! Hope I did well with the portrayal of the Crosses. Before I post the preview, I have a bit of news that I hope I won't get in trouble for saying on here. At some point today, I'll be posting pictures of me in my Halloween costume on deviant art, as well as a video on my youtube account (both under the same name as my penname). Just keep an eye out for it to see my celebrate this awesome holiday!**

**On the next chapter of Endless Nightmare...**

**Herman: Camp is made, what's the next move?**

**DJ: With the two of us, we can check it out without much risk!**

**Kirsty: Personally? We care more about these freaks and our nakama than some damned Shichibukai who steals shadows!**

**Niri: I still can't get over those two dead wolves. Maybe we should look for the one who shot their brains out...**

**Campfire Strategies**

**Jinko: THAT'S my zombie?!**

**Happy Halloween, everyone!  
**


	12. Campfire Strategies

**Campfire Strategies**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece.**

**--**

Thanks to the help of the Rolling Pirates and others from the Thriller Bark Victims Association, the Axe-Heads found a decent place to set up their camp. It was large enough for the crew, but it was also small enough so there wouldn't be any slips through the cracks, so to speak. Medical supplies, food, and spare weaponry went to specific areas that were close by, but separate as not to make a large mess if they needed to get to them quickly. Of course, Dusty pointed out neatness wouldn't be a factor should they come under attack from Kairi's group or whatever the hell else was out there on the island waiting for them.

Herman looked around the area and nodded, satisfied at their first step of taking their nakama back and taking on the evil bastards that took them. _It's not a Marine Fortress, but it'll do it's purpose..._ he thought as he took in the layout, _Camp is made, so what's the next move?_

Hearing his nakama's voices, along with Lola's voice off to the side, Herman's stalks swiveled around to see them talking in a circle.

_Looks like they're thinking that over right now..._

--

"That's gotta be a new record," Stitches murmured as he watched Eliza sew Azu's abdomen up. The Drunken Boxer was in a lot of pain, and the two members of the Bloodless Vampires were impressed that he managed to stay alive without going into shock after receiving so much pain, since Eliza didn't give him any painkillers.

"What can I say, I'm fast?" Eliza shrugged, "I can't help but break my time records,"

"Not_ that_ record, the record that having someone still alive after putting them through that kind of thing," Stitches said with a grin, "What're you gonna do now?"

"Now?" Eliza cut the sewing thread, finished with her patch job, then removed her blood-stained gloves, "Well, first, I'm going to take the leftovers to whoever wants it," she jerked a thumb to a jar off to the side, "Then I'm gonna do something with him, but I'm not sure what though," she tilted her head, her cold eyes looking down on the Drunken Boxer, whose faced showed that he was in unbearable pain.

Stitches knew very well what was in the jar, but he picked it up, looking inside anyway. Inside the jar, floating in some kind of preserving, viscous liquid was one of Azu's vestigial organs. Vestigial, or "junk DNA", was a medical term for organs and other pieces of one being that had evolved to a point where they weren't necessary to survive. Eliza had a vast amount of medical knowledge, so she knew what to take out without killing her "patients" too soon. Azu had a few more vestigial pieces in him, but there was no rush to put him into all the kinds of pain there was for a man to experience. There was plenty of time to do that later.

The scarred man shook his head as he swirled the jar around, "What do you think? Gaine, Anubis, Toby, or one in the pack?"

"Hell, I don't know, I just take stuff out. Unless I can study it because it's a freak of nature, I don't give a damn who does what with it after it comes out," Eliza sighed and ran her hands through her hair, "What I wouldn't give for a unique patient to study...,"

"Don't you want to look over this guy's liver?"

"...dammit, I _knew_ I wanted to do something _before_ I sewed him back up! Hand me those scissors,"

--

"We got a base set up, and we already have a bunch of new allies to help us, the problem is what do we do next?" Niri looked around at her nakama, "We know who we're dealing with, and we know how to kill at least some of them, but the biggest problem we have against these bastards is finding them and taking them down before they cause any more pain," she pointed to the large mansion that could be seen over the treeline, "That place is huge, and we know that it's filled with plenty of bad things, as well as our nakama, but we have no idea what it's like on the inside, aside from the rooms we saw on the way in and out. For all we know, they moved Axe and Azu to another place. Anyone have any ideas as to how we do this?"

Lola sighed and shook her head, "I love the idea of saving nakama, kids, but you have no chance here,"

"We'll decide who has a chance or not," Devon murmured, "I just wish we'd have more information on these Bloodless Vampires of Kairi's. Hell, I'd like to know if Kairi can do anything herself but use a sword,"

"If the name is a hint, she probably drinks blood like a real vampire,"

"Oh c'mon, like Axe would have one of those under his command,"

"Have you seen what we're capable of, Kit? Honestly, that wouldn't surprise me in the least!"

"Isn't there anything more you can tell us, Lola?"

Again, the ugly captain shook her head, "They've all terrorized us at one point, they've chased us, they've taunted us, they've toyed with us, and they've scared us all to the brink of death...hell, Spoil has already had almost four attacks because of them! The only major thing we know about them is that some of them can turn into wolves,"

"And we already know how to wipe them out," Niri thought aloud, "Someone else does to. If we can find that person, we may have a better chance of wiping these bastards out,"

"How do we know that it wasn't just one of the other crewmembers getting revenge on them or punishing them?" Dusty challenged the former Marine, "It's not uncommon for people to punish other people on their crew with pain of death,"

Niri shook her head, "It's just a feeling I have,"

DJ cleared his throat loudly, "So, before we all went into a little rant here, am I right in saying that one of our biggest problems we have is lack of knowledge of the mansion's lay out?"

The others nodded.

"Alright, no problem," DJ grinned, "I'll check it out, and before any of you can say anything, you know that it's best idea. I'm fast as hell, and these guys will have to be faster than the speed of both sound and light in order to catch me, so I'm the best choice to do some scouting,"

"Isn't that my job?" Dusty wondered raising her hand a little, "I'm not volunteering to go inside a scary mansion, I'm just asking because I'm confused?"

Niri opened her mouth to make a joke to lighten the mood, but decided not to. However, she did have something to say.

"I think you're more of the miko of the group instead of a scout, Dusty. Besides, I think DJ's right. With his speed, he can move faster than any of us, and he stands a better chance of getting in and getting out without being caught or even seen,"

Devon nodded, "I agree," he turned to the musician, "Congratulations, Macleod, you're actually useful for something,"

"Aw, eat it," DJ flipped him the middle finger and looked around, "Austin! Get over here, partner!"

"Whoa, hold up," Devon grabbed his shoulder as Austin approached the group, "Partner? Macleod, you better mean something than what I think you're meaning right now,"

DJ pushed Devon's hand away, "I can move fast, yes, I can scope the place out, that's a given. However, even with my speed, it could take me awhile to find Axe and Azu if I look through every place in that mansion. I'm going to need help in locating them since getting them out is a priority,"

"There's no way in Hell that I'm gonna-,"

"Let Austin get involved in this, yeah, I know the shtick, Devon," DJ cut him off, "But here's the thing: One, we're already in Hell, as far as anyone of us can tell and two, he's already involved in this! He and everyone of us has been involved in this fight since the very day that Axe recruited each of us, so don't give me any crap for trying to get some help on my part! I've got the speed and Austin's got the Mantra, right? With the two of us, we can check it out without much risk!"

Devon went quiet.

"Believe me, we know that we're short handed in power," DJ bent down and let Austin climb onto his back, "I also know that you care very much for Austin, we all do, so I swear that I would give my life to protect him, as I would do the same for anyone else on this crew," he stood up as soon as the mute child was settled.

The First Mate looked long and hard at his fellow swordsman, then looked at Austin, who was giving him a look as it to tell him not to worry about him. Devon sighed loudly and looked away, "Alright fine, I don't like it when he gets roped into shit like this, but I guess I have no choice,"

Dusty leaned over to Niri, "He must've been pissed all those times we got into trouble together then," she whispered, "Like Baroque Works, the Panthoen, those Marines...,"

"I know who we fought against, Dusty, I was there for all of them, remember?" Niri whispered back to her, "Now, be quiet!"

Devon glanced at his little brother, "Got what you need, kid?"

Austin nodded and pointed to a pack he had on his back.

"That's good. Remember, you're just going to check things out for recon, then you have to come back right after you're done. Don't risk yourselves by trying to bust Axe and Azu out,"

DJ nodded, "I know, I'm not strong enough to carry more than one full-grown person on my back yet, which is another reason why I'm taking Austin,"

"You get in, check it out, and then get out. If you must fight, end it quickly, we can't risk you guys getting killed or caught by those bastards because of this,"

The two of them nodded and soon enough, DJ was running off through the forest, leaving a trail of dust and dead plants in the air of his wake. Devon watched them leave until the trail had settled, then closed his eyes and prayed to his God to make sure that his brother would be safe.

"Dusty!"

The kitsune gave a mock salute, "What's up?"

Devon turned and proceeded into the center of the camp area, "Come with me, Kit, we need that barrier of yours ASAP,"

--

Somewhere else in the forest, the figure from before walked over another group of newly killed lycanthropes. The figure lowered it's weapon and just kept walking towards the mansion, it's eyes focused on the large building, but it's mind set on it's mission: a mission of both vengeance and retribution.

"You fleabags may share the same curse as him, but you're nowhere as strong as he is. Against me, you have no chance of getting even close enough to lay the curse on me, because before you can sink fang or claw into me, you'll be dead," it looked right at the mansion, "We have unfinished business...and I have a promise to keep,"

--

"Okay, so is it safe to get down now, Jinko-chan?"

The female assassin looked around carefully, her trained eyes scanning the area, "I think so, Isaac-kun. We can get down, but we have to stick together if we're to have a chance of getting what we want,"

"Safety in numbers," Isaac murmured, "Sounds good to me,"

"Just don't go wandering off like you did with those rookie pirates,"

"Oi, oi,"

--

"Miko Defense Spell, Level One: _Un-shi-basarito_!" Dusty's hands were a flurry of hand signs and soon enough, a dome of pink miko energy appeared around her.

Devon nodded, "Not bad, Kit...," he reached out and as soon as he touched the pink energy, he felt a hard surface that prevented his hand from going any further, "Not bad at all!"

"Thanks, but there's a problem,"

"What's that?"

"I may have made the barrier, but if anyone was in here with me, they wouldn't be protected,"

Devon lowered his hand, "What're you talking about? How can they not be protected if they're already in there with you?"

Dusty shrugged, "Hell, I don't know!"

"How could you not know?!"

"Hey, I just do what those scrolls I got tell me to make these spells, okay? The details on these spells are on those scrolls and they said that with this level of defense, anyone in here with me can't be protected!"

Kirsty looked at the barrier and walked around it a bit, "Level of defense, hm?"

Devon turned to his wife, "What are you thinking, Kirsty?"

"Well, I can't be positive, as it's a rare thing to have in common, let alone bring up, but...," she tapped the barrier, "When I was fighting in Skypeia, I gained a new level of power and fighting skills for my Dragon Kung Fu. Maybe, just maybe, Dusty has to achieve a new level of power of Miko magic before she can defend anyone else?"

Dusty nodded, "That's what the scrolls said! The next level of defense is _Ha-no-ru-shikaiyo_, and it does allow more protection, but there's a catch,"

"Which is what?"

"According to the scroll, only a maximum of up to five people can be protected as long as their inside with her,"

Dusty, Devon and Kirsty turned to see Chizuru walking up to them, the unfurled scroll in her hands.

"Five people, hm?" Devon counted their numbers, "Axe and Azu are gone, so that leaves ten of us. I can handle myself, as can Macleod, Kirsty, Herman...,"

While he crunched the numbers and possibilities, Chizuru turned to Kirsty, "I believe you're right, Doc, she's going to need to get to the new level of Miko power if she's going to do this,"

"Any idea how she can do that?"

Chizuru shrugged, "I don't have much personal experience with Mikos to tell you the truth, even after Kinmotsu, but if it follows most other ways of getting stronger in this world of ours, she's going to need practice,"

"Uh, yeah, excuse me? Yoohoo, guys over here?"

The doctor and navigator turned to see Dusty waving her arms in the barrier.

"Yeah, thanks for noticing me. Look, I know this is important and all, but there's a downside to these spells. It drains some of my energy to perform them. It may not seem like it, but I've used up a bit just to put this up. The higher levels are gonna take up more energy, so it's gonna take a bigger toll on me,"

Kirsty nodded and rubbed her chin, "Good point,"

"Don't worry about energy drainage,"

They turned to see Herman walking over with the pack of food he made for Dusty.

He held up the pack and set it down just outside the barrier, "I can always make more, but I knew it was a good idea to bring food that gives more energy to help in a fight or traveling,"

Chizuru smiled, "It seems that we have what we need now," she turned back to Dusty and knocked on the barrier, "Looks like it's time for you to practice, kit,"

"Aw man...,"

While they went about the barrier problem, Niri was talking to Lola and the Rolling Pirates.

"So, tell me if I get any of this wrong," Niri poked the dark earth of the island with her silver dagger, "Besides the crew of the bitch that ruined my life, as well as probably many others, there is a Shichibukai on this island by the name of Gecko Moria. A Government-sanctioned pirate with a former bounty of 315,000,000 Beli and a Devil Fruit ability that can rip people's shadows from their very bodies, and using the specially prepared dead bodies that this famous doctor called Hogback has at his disposal, he's made an army of zombies?"

The Rolling Pirates nodded.

"Okay, got that. We already faced the zombies, so we just need to watch out for Moria and Hogback?"

Lola shook her head, "There's others here working for him. Remember, there's a couple of special people here who can do their own damage. There's this beastman who can not only turn invisible at will, but he commands the legions of Zombie Generals here. Also, he's a huge pervert, at least that's what everyone else says,"

"What do you mean?"

Lola shrugged, "They say he's a major pervert who hits on any women that come his way, and I've seen him, but he's never once tried to hit on me...so I don't think that's true. Why else wouldn't he hit on me?"

Niri turned away, _I can think of a **very** good reason..._

"There's also the Ghost Princess, Perona,"

"Ghost Princess...," Niri turned back, "What's she do again?"

"She has her own group of Zombies called Ambush Zombies that she commands. She usually travels with this zombie that looks like a stitched up, over-sized teddy bear with a mask over it's mouth, and she can be seen flying around the mansion, but other than that...,"

"I gotcha," Niri nodded, "You know, I'm surprised you guys can get information on these guys without being killed by them or by Kairi's crew. How do you guys survive?"

The fatter one of the Risky Brothers coughed, "With our shadows stolen and used to make the zombies come to live, I don't think they'd want us to die. If we die, then our shadows disapppear from the zombies at the same time,"

"So if you get wasted, so does whatever zombie has your shadow?"

He nodded, "Yeah, pretty much,"

"That must be why Kairi's group only terrorizes and has their fun with you guys," Niri thought aloud, "They can't kill you guys otherwise Moria's zombie army will lose a fair amount of members,"

"This is why we said you guys shouldn't get involved and go out there!" Lola reminded her, "If you do, you guys are gonna either die or get your shadows stolen, just like us!"

"And if we don't die but do get our shadows stolen, then we can't go out in daylight until we get it back," Niri finished, "Look-,"

"Personally? We care more about these freaks and our nakama than some damned Shichibukai who can steal shadows!" Kirsty cut her off as she walked up to the group, having heard the last few bits.

Niri glanced at her friend and nodded, "Damn straight. We appreciate the advice and information, Lola, we really do. But right now, we're worried about Kairi and her group. If we worry about getting caught by Moria and what happens to our shadows, then we won't be able to focus on saving those who mean a lot to us," she turned around, "C'mon, Kirsty,"

Lola and the Risky Brothers watched as the two female pirates walked away from them and back to their own crew.

"They're so dead," the curly-haired Risky Brother shook his head.

The fat one nodded, "I'm with ya there,"

Lola, however, couldn't help but smile, "Dead or not, I know one thing about them,"

"Hm?"

"What do you know, Captain?"

The smile grew wider, "They're gonna give them all hell just for their nakama, and you gotta admire that spirit,"

--

"Captain, what you want me to do?"

Kairi walked down the corridor, heading back to the room where she had Axe bound on the cross, "A very simple, but also very important job. No doubt those pathetic rookies of pirates are going to come and try to take Axe and Azu back, so we need to make sure that they fail. Azu is still with Eliza, going through some very important things, but Axe is alone. If he is alone, then he's a target, so we need a guardian for a bit,"

"But zombies do good job of that already, Captain?"

"They may be a decent-sized army, but only a few certain zombies are strong enough to handle them, and just in case they're not around and just in case those rookies make it past the less stronger zombies, we'll need someone to make sure they don't take Axe back. That is where you come in, big guy,"

Good thing this corridor's bigger and wider than most, otherwise he'd never fit! Kairi came to the room and stopped outside the door, turning to the new guardian of her prisoner, "Alright. You stay here and if you see anyone that is neither a zombie or one of us, you take them down!"

"Yes, Captain. Do I kill?"

"Hmm...," Kairi shook her head, "Nah, just beat them to an inch of their life and I'll send someone to check on you from time to time. If you manage to get anyone when they come for you, they'll take them away so you're not distracted by them,"

"Thank you, Captain,"

Kairi smiled and reached up as a large hand reached down towards her, "You're quite welcome, Goheno,"

--

"I still can't get over those two dead wolves," Niri put her hands behind her head as she sat against a dead-ish tree at the campsite, "Maybe we should look for the one who shot their brains out,"

Kirsty shrugged, "I don't know. I admit, if it is a person whose on our side, that'd be quite helpful against Toby's kind, but if it's not...we can't afford to have another enemy against us,"

"We have an army of the dead, a Shichibukai and a friggin former crewmate of Axe and her own crew against us, what's one more enemy?" Niri asked bitterly, "Look, all I'm saying is that I have a feeling in my gut about this. Whoever did that has got to be against Kairi, I just know it!"

"Then act on it,"

"Huh?" Niri looked up to see Devon standing in front of her, "What?"

Devon bent down and looked right at her, "I know we're in trouble here, and I know that there are important things all around here, but do you really have a gut feeling about this whole dead wolf thing?"

"Yes, I do," Niri nodded slowly, "I can't get it out of my head,"

"...you do realize that even if you do find the one who killed those things, could very well be against us, or even someone who won't fight with us because they just want their own ambitions fulfilled?"

Again, she nodded.

"Are you willing to risk it? Are you willing to risk a lot of things just to get this cleared?"

"Devon, we're already risking our very lives for nakama, what else is there?"

The nittoryu warrior looked hard at her, then glanced at his wife, who shrugged slightly. He looked back at Niri, "Alright, go for it,"

Niri blinked, "W-What?"

"I said go for it," Devon rose to full height and turned to the other pirate crew, "OI! RISKY BROTHERS!"

--

"Ab-sama! Ab-sama, where are you!!"

Absalom, the Zombie General Commander, looked around desperately for a place to hide from Lola, another one of the doctor's and Moria's zombies. How many times did she obsess over him, and how many times had she tried to get him to marry her?

"AB-SAMA!!"

SHIT! Absalom thought for a few moments of where to hide, before remembering what he could do. Using his Suke Suke no Mi abilities, he soon vanished from sight, though the footprints his boots made moments before still lingered. Breathing quietly and carefully moving out of the way as not to leave many more footprints, Absalom waited.

Sure enough, Lola came barging through the area. Even for a zombie, she was ugly as sin. Hogback created her from the remains of a warthog, and that alone caused him to cringe at the sight of her. Her skin was light pink, and was dressed in clothes that were a combination of a battle armor wedding dress. Her metallic shoulder pads and corsets that she wore on her wedding dress were golden in color. Lola also had a rather large skeletal mouth that contains two large warthog tusks and red lipstick imprinted on the tip.

The female General Zombie looked around the Wonder Garden that belonged to Perona, swearing that she followed Absalom into this area. She knew what he was capable of, so chances were he was still here, just hiding from her and her affections.

"You can't hide, Ab-sama!" she called out in a taunting voice, "Come out so we can finally be married!"

Absalom's stomach turned over at the thought.

"Any luck finding him, Lola-sama?"

Lola shook her head as another female zombie, this one dressed in a bridesmaid dress walked up alongside her, "No, not yet, but when I finally do get my hands on him, he will realize our love for each other and we'll get married!"

The bridesmaid zombie smiled, "That's the spirit, Lola-sama! Don't worry, I'll be here to help you out!"

Absalom waited until both women zombies were far enough away until he appeared in the flesh again, so to speak. He wiped sweat from his muzzle, "It's bad enough I have to get away from Lola, but I have to be careful with that 'friend' of hers...and here I wanted to marry the owner of that new Zombie's shadow. She was a beauty, but this zombie of hers is just annoying as hell...,"

With an angry snort, Absalom walked out of the Garden, grumbling under his breath. As soon as the entire area was clear, Isaac and Jinko hopped out of their hiding spot in the tree.

"And you said it was safe earlier," Isaac muttered, picking some bits of bark out of his hair, "Looks like you know where your shadow is, Jinko-chan,"

Jinko stared in the direction where Lola and the bridesmaid zombie went off to, "THAT'S my zombie?!"

Isaac patted her on the back, "I'm sorry, Jinko-chan,"

"Oh, shut up,"

"I mean it's bad enough you got that for a zombie, but you got that furry-guy that was just here wanting to marry you before, so-,"

Jinko reached over and grabbed him in a headlock, "I said shut up! Now, c'mon, we gotta get moving before we're spotted again,"

--

**Kilnorc: Alright, this chapter's done with. Who is this new zombie and what does she look like? Find out in the future, and also find out what's gonna happen to Niri and the others!**


	13. Caught! Packed with Slime

**Caught! Packed with Slime  
**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece.**

--

-Flashback-

_"I said it once, and I'll say it again, I'm not giving you any information on that man! I don't care if you have a personal vendetta against him or not, I'm not helping you!"._

_The person in the cape chuckled and Niri could tell it was a woman, "I...don't remember offering you a choice. However, if you won't tell me...," she trailed off as she pulled out a pistol and aimed it directly at him. "BARON!" Niri yelled as she burst into the room. The higher officer looked in shock at the newcomer, "Niri...!"._

_The woman smirked, snapped her fingers and something large and hairy wrapped itself around Niri, holding her in place. "Well well...how about now? You give me the information or my friend will snap the young one's neck," she threatened._

_Baron growled and lowered his head, "Fine...,". He bent down, unlocked a drawer in his desk and pulled out Niri's pistol. Before he could even aim, the woman fired off her weapon and Niri watched in horror as Baron's head snapped back with a large bullet hole in the middle of it. "Fool...should've just given me what I wanted...," the woman hissed, putting the her weapon away._

_She turned around and Niri tried to see what she looked like, but her hat and the lighting in the room made it difficult for her to find out. The woman took hold of her chin, "You see what happens when you don't cooperate, girl. Now, __you're the one who's gonna have to take the pain,"_

_--  
_

_"Niri, that thing you said earlier, about that night Baron was killed...,"_

_"What about?" Niri raised an eyebrow._

_"I know who shot him,"_

_Niri stared at him and scowled deeply, "That's not funny, Axe,"_

_"I'm not joking, Niri-chan...far from it," he slowly turned and looked straight at her, a look of remorse on his face, "I know, who it was,"_

_"You're full of it,"_

_"No, I'm not," Axe shook his head, "The one that held you by your neck," he made a motion, his hand going around his own throat, "It had hairy arms, right?"_

_"Yeah...hairy like hell. Must've been like a forest, or something,"_

_"That...__thing that held you...his name is Toby Dicey," Axe rubbed the back of his head, looking very uncomfortable, "That woman that shot Baron...was Kairi Lumina," he looked right at her, "They were once part of my first crew,"_

_As those words left his lips, the cabin became very quiet. It was so quiet, the only noise that was heard was from the waves outside, as well as the party going on outside. Niri stared with wide eyes at her captain, her best friend since childhood, speechless._

_"I'm sorry, Niri," Axe shook his head, "I don't know why they were there to begin with, but-,"_

_"Baron said they were looking for a man...,"_

_"What?"_

_"Baron," Niri gulped, her voice cracking, "He refused to give them information on a man...so they shot him when he tried to save me from being killed,"_

_Axe sighed, "Shit...shit, shit, shit, shit, __shit!" he tugged at his hair, gritting his teeth, "I didn't want you to get involved in this...when I saved you from jail, and came back out to sea, I hoped I wouldn't run into either of them again, but it seems that you were involved before this second voyage,"_

_"Run into them again?" Niri looked at him, "When did you meet them again?"_

_"Phlan...,"_

_"WHAT?!"_

_"Whiskey Peak,"_

_"Oh my...Axe...!"_

_"And finally, so far, Alabasta,"_

_Niri gawked at him, her anger rising inside, "Why the __fuck are they after you?! They were your crew!"_

_"__Were, Niri, were!" Axe pointed out, "As in no longer! They mutinied against me and before I ran into Devon and the others in East Blue, I was on my own, just like I was before I met __them!"_

_"So let me get this straight," Niri backed into the desk, glaring daggers at him, "Not __only did you know who shot Baron...but you've run into them in the places we were, but you never told us?!"_

_"I couldn't!_

_"WHY NOT?!"_

_"Because we already had troubles and I didn't think they'd come after me!" Axe half-shouted, "Now that Kairi and Toby have their own crew of psychopaths and freaks, it's only a matter of time before they come after all of us!"_

_"Why the __fuck would they come after us, if they're after you?!"_

_"Because you are with me!" Axe snapped, voice rising, "They want me dead, but because you guys are with me, they figure they can take you out, too! These guys...," he shook his head, "From what I know, they are not your normal pirates,"_

_"Look around, there is no such thing as **normal** pirates!"_

_"I KNOW THAT!" Axe shouted, "But these guys aren't even on the same level of weirdness as the ones we've seen! These aren't just cruel, vicious, demented pirates...these are cruel, vicious, demented pirates who cannot be killed!"_

_Niri shook her head, "Nuh-uh, not this shit, Axe! We both know there is nothing that can't die!"_

_"Yes, there is!" Axe grabbed a lamp nearby and lit it, giving the room full illumination, then he pointed to the eight posters on the walls, "THESE...__things...cannot be killed, if they're with Kairi!" he pointed to Gaine's poster, "I went after him in Alabasta, but he was hard to take down, and he left me one hell of a scar!" he pulled open his vest to show the ugly scar on his torso._

_Niri stared at it, then went to the posters, "I know one of those guys...,"_

_Axe frowned, "What?"_

_The former Marine walked to the poster with the name of Cobaras and tapped it. Axe looked at the poster to see a man with pale skin and very light colored hair, "Where the hell you know him from?"_

_"Alubarna," Niri whispered, "Chizuru and I ran into some Rebels, and he was a part of the group that came at us,"_

_"What?!"_

_She shook her head, "I...I don't understand...Axe, why have you been keeping this a secret?"_

_"To protect you...all of you,"_

_"To __protect us?!" Niri glared at him and turned to the door, "How the hell could you protect us when you couldn't tell us any of this?! This isn't protecting, this is keeping us in the dark!"_

-End Flashback-

_To think, he lied to protect us, now we're coming to save him and Azu..._ Niri thought to herself as she, Sora and Pingu followed the Risky Brothers through the dense forest of Thriller Bark, _Something bugs me though...if they could find Axe so easily before we entered the Grand Line, why the hell would they need to kill Baron for information on him? It doesn't make sense..._

"Hey, are you okay? You've been really quiet?" a voice entered her mind, followed by a heavy hand landing on her shoulder.

Instinctively, Niri grabbed the wrist connected to the hand, lifted it, and moved in quickly, ramming her elbow into whoever owned the hand.

"OOF!" the larger Risky Brother (who will now go by Fat Risky for the sake of this story), doubled over and held his stomach, his eyes bulging out of his sockets.

The other Risky Brother (who will also be known as Skinny Risky), slapped himself in the face, "I said that she would do that, Bro, you shouldn't have done that, but did ya listen to me? No!"

Niri stood up, rubbing her elbow, "Sorry, guys...I didn't mean to, I have a lot on my mind lately,"

"We noticed," Skinny murmured, "Anyway, we were just saying that when we get near one of the areas, we need to stay downwind,"

"Areas?"

The Risky Brothers looked at each other, then at her, "Man, you really haven't been able to pay attention, huh?"

Niri's eyebrow twitched.

"You said you wanted to find the person who shot those two things, right?"

Niri nodded.

"If that guy is going around, killing those wolf-people, then he may be heading towards one of the wolf areas,"

"Wolf areas?"

Fat nodded, "Yeah. Ever since they arrived here, some of those wolf-people have spread out on the island, taking large patches of the forest for themselves and throwing us out of the area and chasing us all around,"

"Those two we saw earlier come from a nearby Wolf Den, and if whoever killed them is off killing these others, they're sure to head there,"

_Hmm...so being downwind would be safer, because we don't want a group of those bastards coming after us. Heh, I wonder how Mom and Dad would react if they knew I was hunting werewolves. I bet Mom's lonely back home without either me or Dad there with her...hey, maybe I can get in touch with Carmen somehow, maybe she can go and keep her company since she knew my dad?_

Fat and Skinny looked at each other and waved their hands in front of Niri's face.

"Oh great, she's out in her own little world again!"

"Don't get too close, we'd get our asses kicked...,"

"Remind me why we're actually helping her get closer to those freaks?"

"You saw that Demon King guy, I don't wanna piss him off...besides, Captain Lola told us to,"

As the humans went about whatever they were doing, Pingu and Sora sat down on a nearby log of deadwood, keeping eyes and ears out to make sure nothing was coming their way.

Pingu lightly tapped the wood and turned to his fellow animal, _"Ya know, I never really expected myself to be on an island like this...it's creepy, I'll admit, but it's exciting!"_ his eyes started to light up with a look that was usually seen in certain people they had come across.

Sora shook his blue-furred head, _"You're a strange one, Pingu,"_

_"I'm a D, furball, we're all strange!"_

The Sky Fox shook his head again, _"I bet Austin and DJ are having better luck than we are...hope they're okay,"_

--

"Red streak, speeds by, DJ the pirate....too fast, for the naked eye! DJ, the pirate! DJ...he can really move, DJ...he's got an attitude, DJ...he's the fastest thing alive!"

_POW!_

DJ skidded to a halt, sporting a fresh lump on his head, and looked over his shoulder to glare at Austin, who had an annoyed look on his face, "What was that for?!"

Austin pulled out his notepad and a pencil, wrote something down, the showed it to him.

"We're supposed to be stealthy and quick, this is no time for songs...really stupid songs," DJ looked up from the pad, "Everybody's a critic," he looked down at himself and looked at his white clothing, "Maybe instead of red streak, I should've gone with white streak...,"

_No, I just wanna stay alive longer than three minutes!_ Austin rolled his eyes, _I'm surprised we haven't been caught yet with him singing along the way!_

"Where are we, anyway?" DJ wondered aloud, looking around the forest, "I thought we were heading back to the Mansion, but this place is so thick and foggy, I can't really see a way through," he looked down at the younger Axe-Head, "Whatever happened to you using your Mantra tracking thing, is that on the fritz?"

Austin shot a glare at him and pulled off his backpack, rummaging through it.

"Something's bugging me, kid," DJ rubbed the back of his head as he looked around, "Not only are we supposed to be at the mansion by now, but I get the feeling that someone's watching us, what do you-?" he looked back at Austin and stopped when he saw him pull out a Dial on a stick, "That's not what I think it is, is it?"

Austin grinned and nodded.

"A Burn Blade...," DJ smiled as well, "Clear the forest away and we can make a dead dash for the mansion...," he stopped and thought for a moment, "But won't all that alert any and every enemy nearby of where we are?"

The cabin boy facefaulted, _You're faster than just about anyone, and you're worried about getting caught?_ he scoffed and rolled his eyes, _Big Brother was right, you are a loser..._ he was about to turn it on when he sensed something and snapped his head around, holding the Burn Blade defensively.

DJ didn't have to ask what was going on, he recognized the boy's alert face and held up _Raikiri_.

"Whoever is out there, I'm giving you only one warning!" the musician called out, "We're both armed and ready to fight, so if you know what's good for you, come out slowly and with your hands up!"

The two Axe-Heads waited there until something popped out from the treeline. They jumped back a few inches, but calmed down when they saw what it was that came out to them. It was two small squirrels, wrapped in bandages, stitches covering their bodies. Somehow, they looked familiar to them...

"Just a couple of rodents..." DJ walked over and picked up one of the animals by the collar, "Not the cutest looking critters, but at least it's nothing we should worry about,"

"PUT ME DOWN, JACKASS!" the squirrel he was holding shouted, glaring up at him, "NOW!"

"Holy shit, the rodent talked!" DJ dropped the animal and backed away, surprised, "It friggin' talked!"

"Of course I talked!" the said squirrel, who was wearing a black mask over it's head, snapped, "Who said we can't talk?!"

DJ blinked a few times, then looked at his nakama, "Please tell me you're seeing this too?"

Austin nodded slowly, staring at the little talking animals. He was about to go over and poke them with the end of his Burn Blade when something sparked in the back of his mind, making him spin around. He reached over and tapped on DJ's side repeatedly.

"What? What's wrong?"

Austin pointed at something, and DJ followed his finger to see what was going on. He was startled when he saw a group of strange looking animals, much like the squirrels standing there, looking straight at them.

"Okay...this...this doesn't feel right...," DJ inched his way down to his knees and motioned for Austin to climb onto his back, "I think...we should get going...right now...,"

_No need to tell me twice!_ Austin slung his backpack on, gripped his Burn Blade and hopped onto his nakama's back.

"We'd love to stay and play with you, but um...," DJ chuckled nervously, watching as the animals got closer to them, "We'relateforsomethingbye!"

With that super quick sentence, the two pirates were off again.

The mask wearing squirrel tugged at his ears, "Dammit! We were supposed to get them for Lady Kairi and Moria-sama when he wakes up!"

"Hang on, Austin, we're going Warp Seven!"

_SHUT UP AND RUN YOU IDIOT!!!_

--

**"Lady Kairi! Lady Kairi!"**

The Blood Countess pulled out a Den Den Mushi from her front and held it up. It wasn't a specific voice she could recognize, but only her many subordinates called her that.

"Speak," she commanded.

**"Lady Kairi, we're-!"** the voice cut off, but the snail communication device was still on, so the sound of howling and gunshots was heard over the other end of the line.

"What's going on?" Kairi demanded as she scowled, "Answer me!"

She didn't get an answer, all she heard was more gunshots and howling.

"TOBY!" she turned to see the lycanthrope running up to her, "There's something going on with your packmates!"

"Gimme," Toby snatched the Den Den Mushi away, "This is your Alpha male talking, someone talk to me, what's going on over there?!"

The noise on the other end died.

"Hello?!"

**"Hello...,"** a new, harsh voice crackled over the Den Den Mushi, **"I'm sorry, but your little puppies can't play right now, Moon Beast. They're taking a dirt nap right now,"**

Toby growled, "Sonofa-!"

Kairi's brows furrowed, _It can't be!_

**"I'm coming for you...I'm coming for _all _of you. You can send everything you got after me, but I tell you right now that I won't die that easily...,"**

--

"Oh dear God...,"

"Holy shit...,"

"No kidding...,"

Niri, the Risky's, Sora and Pingu stood on the edge of a clearing, having arrived after hearing gunfire and howling. The former Marine, having her shotgun at the ready, scanned the area. There were bodies, lots and lots of bodies. Dozens of wolf-men lay dead on the soil, their blood and some other parts of them sticking to the nearby trees, bushes and staining the soil beneath them.

"Whatever happened, looks like we just missed it," Niri knelt down beside a nearby body and jabbed it with her silver knife, just to make sure it was dead, "Whoever did this must be close by, they can't have moved away that fast," she looked up and around, "Riskys!"

The two Rolling Pirates tore their eyes from the carnage and turned to her, "Yeah?"

Niri rose to her feet, wiping her blade clean as best she could, "You can go back and tell the others what happened here,"

"What?!"

"What about you?"

"I'll be fine," Niri sheathed her knife and gripped her shotgun, "I got backup with me,"

The Risky's looked down at Sora and Pingu, then looked at each other.

"She's kidding, right?"

"She's _gotta_ be!"

Though they didn't want to leave her behind, the two brothers felt like they should leave or suffer because at that moment, they were getting a really odd, yet dangerous vibe emanating from the former Marine sniper. With it being just the three of them in the clearing amongst the corpses of the enemy, Niri was able to focus on the task at hand instead of being distracted with the safety of the other two pirates.

_Now, where are you...I know you're here, so come out, come out, wherever you are..._ Niri carefully scanned the surrounding treeline, "Why don't you come out and do what you need to do?"

A loud growling from the side made her tense up. Slowly, she turned her head and watched as another wolfman fell out of a nearby tree, holding a large gash on it's front.

Calmly, Niri raised her shotgun, her eyes deadlocked on the wounded lycanthrope, "With those injuries, I think we're about even, what with your pain impacting your senses and reflexes," she jerked her head to the corpses, "Who killed these, the same one who hurt you?"

The wolfman nodded and snarled, "That bastard...he knew how to kill us! None of us ever saw him before, but he knew how to hurt us and with that knowledge he killed almost every single one of us,"

"Then how'd _you_ survive?"

"He injured me and I went down. I think he would've come to finish me off, but he went off shortly before you and your friends entered our den. I hid in the tree to regain some of my strength, waiting for my opportunity to come and it has," the beast grinned wickedly, "He was a fool not to kill me when he had the chance...,"

"Guess I'll have to finish the job," Niri muttered, anger rising within her, "I'll put you down and mark you as my first victim of Kairi's crew of fucking psychoes,"

The inhuman beast reared his head back and laughed, "You have no chance...,"

"Oh, I think I do," Niri scoffed, "I'm tougher than I look,"

"We'll see about that...I don't care for rough meat, but if it feeds my belly, then I can bare it," the werewolf's teeth began to drip with saliva, "You think this measly little injury I have will slow me down?!"

The next thing Niri knew, the non-human was right in front of her. Before she could pull the trigger, the werewolf roared and knocked her shotgun clean out of her hand before grabbing her by the top of her head, lifting her off the ground.

"I told you that you had no chance...human," the werewolf turned on his heel and threw her hard. Sora and Pingu watched in horror as Niri flew into a tree so hard, the bark cracked and split as she fell to the ground, unconscious.

_"YOU BASTARD!"_ the two animals turned and headed for the enemy beast, _"WE'RE GONNA KILL YOU FOR THAT!"_

The monster looked down at the incoming pets and laughed again, "Do you really think you can beat me, you runts?!"

"No, but _I_ can,"

Sora and Pingu came to a halt when they saw something very long and shiny pierce the lycanthrope's throat, it's dark blood dribbling down it's front as a sickening gurgling noise came from the injury.

"Don't think I forgot about you, pup,"

A deafening **BOOM** was heard as the werewolves head exploded into fleshy, bloody and hairy chunks. Grunting came from behind the headless corpse as the owner of the blade pulled said blade out of the remains of the neck, allowing the corpse to fall to the ground. Pingu and Sora stared at the dead body for a few moments, then looked back up to see the attacker head straight for Niri. The two pets gave angry animal sounds as they ran after, wanting to protect their nakama.

The attacker didn't stop, he just knelt down and checked Niri's body for vital signs.

"She's alive. Surprised that rat bastard didn't infect her when he had the chance...," he pulled off the heavy, black duster jacket from his back and draped it over Niri, "Don't worry, she's going to be fine. Hurt like hell when she wakes up, but she's going to be fine," he turned and looked at the two pets, "Help me pick up the gear around here, we need to get her to a safe place before more of that bitch's entourage shows up,"

--

"YOU DID WHAT?!"

The Rolling Pirates watched in amazement as Devon cornered the Risky Brothers, both Geri and Freki against their throats and the Demon King glaring pure anger into each of their souls.

"S-She said we should leave!" Fat Risky stammered, "We didn't wanna go, but she made us!"

Skinny Risky nodded rapidly, "R-R-Right!"

Devon grit his teeth and pressed the swords closer, "You two...left our nakama...alone on a battlefield...without making sure there wasn't any other enemies nearby?!"

Kirsty and Chizuru turned away from the screaming session.

"Think he'll kill them?"

"Maybe, depends if Lola says yes,"

"He's really pissed,"

"Can you blame him?"

"No...I just hope DJ and Austin are having better luck,"

--

"OH COME ON! YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!"

After running away from the strange animals, DJ and Austin found themselves on a new path in the forest. Confident it would lead them to the mansion, the musician bolted said path, but soon regretted it. Shortly after going down the new path, the ground gave way and both pirates found themselves in a deep pit. As they attempted to get out right after getting their bearings, the two of them saw that escape wasn't going to be easy. The walls of the pit were covered with a disgusting, slimy goo that not only prevented them from climbing upwards, but it stuck to their bodies pretty good, so it was even more difficult to pull away from the walls so they wouldn't get stuck on them. To make things worse, more and more odd-looking creatures covered in bandages and stitches appeared around the pit, laughing at the trapped pirates.

DJ flipped them all the bird, "FUCK YOU, ASSHOLES! WHY DON'T YOU COME DOWN HERE AND FACE US LIKE REAL...WHATEVER THE FUCK YOU ARE?!"

_Dammit, I'm gonna spend days getting this shit off..._ Austin thought angrily as he tried to shake his backpack off his hand, both things covered in the goo, _What the hell is this stuff, anyway?_

"I wouldn't move around in that muck if I were you," a large, moustached warthog in a suit called from above, "The more you move, the more stuck you get and the harder it is to get out of it!"

"Kiss my ass, piggy!" DJ shouted, waving _Raikiri_ from side to side, really wanting to slice into the talking porkchop, "Let us out of here!"

"Or what, you'll fling that crap on us?" the warthog chortled, "We'll let you out, don't worry about that,"

DJ blinked, "What, really? You serious?"

"Of course, I'm serious! We'll have to get you before delivering you to Lady Kairi and Moria-sama when he wakes up,"

Growling, DJ sheathed _Raikiri_ and crouched, trying to calm himself down. He looked over at Austin, who was still having trouble with the goo.

"Looks like we'll have to wait this out, kiddo,"

Big Brother is so going to kill you, baka...

--

**Kilnorc: MAN, that was a long one to do. Had some writer's block, but thanks to dear friends and their ideas, I managed to finish it. The slime pit one was from SuperHurricane, so thanks man. As a token of gratitude, this chapter's dedicated to ya, and I hope you have luck on your own update. I bet ya'll are wondering who killed those wolves, huh? -grins- certain ppl know because I've told them, but I ask them NOT to say ANYTHING in their reviews because I don't want it to be spoiled for people who don't know and read the reviews themselves. So please, keep it to the PM's folks!**

**On the next chapter of Endless Nightmare...**

**Devon: Niri's been gone too long...I gotta bad feeling about this!**

**Kairi: We lost a pack, but we gained some guests. Balance in the universe, I suppose.**

**Perona: We got rid of their ride, but there's _another_ pirate boat docked!**

**Azu: Goheno...what the hell did they do to you?**

**Return to the House of the Deaed**

**Jinko: Are you sure you can move around, Isaac-kun?  
**


	14. Return to the House of the Dead

**Return to the House of the Dead**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece.**

--

Hours passed since the Risky Brothers returned to the encampment without Niri, Pingu or Sora. Her nakama as well as the Rolling Pirates were all worried about them, but they tried their best to keep up their duties to make sure that they were okay as well. Chizuru kept trying to get Dusty's miko skills improved so she could put up a stronger barrier for them should unwelcome visitors came a'knocking. It was harder now than ever to concentrate on that since they were all worried for their sharpshooting friend.

Devon, in particular, since as the one in charge, he was the one responsible for the crew's safety while Axe was unable to. The blonde warrior stared out at the thick, dark woods that surrounded the campsite. He had been in that position and he had been silent for most of the time that had passed. No one could get through to him, not even Kirsty, it was as if he was too deep in thought to reach him. They asked Chizuru to get through to him, but she declined and said she had better things to do.

Finally, after a long, long time, Devon moved away from the perimeter and approached his remaining nakama, "Niri's been gone too long...I gotta bad feeling about this!"

"No shit," Kirsty rubbed the back of her neck nervously, "We all got a bad feeling about this, Devon,"

"Yeah, and there's not much left of 'we' is there?" Devon held up his hand, "Myself, you, Dusty, Chizuru, Herman...we're all that's left right now,"

"Right now," Kirsty walked over and wrapped her arms around her husband, "We'll get back to full strength, don't worry, okay?" she began to rub his arms soothingly, "It's not just Niri, is it? You're worried about Austin, too, huh?"

"Of course I am!" Devon muttered, "I know that Macleod can hold his own and I know he would do anything to protect him, but I'm getting the same bad feeling about those two that I'm getting about Niri and the animals," he sighed, "Maybe this was a bad idea...,"

"Don't say that!" Kirsty smacked him over the head, "We all knew this was a bad idea to begin with, but we started it regardless and we're going to finish it, you hear me? We're going to get Axe and Azu back, we're going to kick that bitch and her crew's ass for hurting our nakama, and then we're gonna leave...all of us!"

Devon became silent again, listening to his wife's prediction.

--

"Lady Kairi, look what we caught!"

Kairi turned away from another zombie as she sipped a wine glass of red liquid. When she saw two tightly bound forms, she couldn't help but smile. She handed the glass to the zombie she was talking to and walked over to the group of Wild Zombies and their captives. She recognized one of them from before, and the other one was about Tobias' age, both of them covered in sticky, gooey, slime and bound with robe...the older one also had some chains around him.

"Well, well, well," she sat down on a step and leaned forward, grabbing DJ's hair and roughly pulling his head up to face her, "It seems that we have some of Axe's nakama over as guests again," she smiled cruelly as she yanked DJ hard, dragging him across the floor effortlessly, "Did you have fun...what was your name again?"

"DJ...," the musician growled, "DJ Macleod!"

"Well, DJ Macleod, it seems that once again, you're a welcome guest in this mansion. Tell me," her eyes wandered to Austin, "Who's your young friend? He looks cute,"

"Don't you touch him!" DJ snapped at her. Normally, he'd be swooning over any kind of beautiful lady, and even though Kairi was beautiful in a sense, there was no way DJ could go head over heels with her. If he wasn't bound with special chains and rope, he'd be at an advantage.

Kairi released his hair and looked at the zombies, "How'd you do this?"

"We caught them in a Slime Pit!" the moustached hippo zombie from before said proudly, "They were just like flies in a spiders web!" he held up Raikiri, "For you, Lady Kairi,"

"And these!" another zombie added, handing over Austin's backpack, gloves and Burn Blade stick.

The Blood Countess giggled as she took the katana and equipment, "Good job, I congratulate you. I'll talk to Perona and arrange a reward for you all,"

The Zombies let out a cheer and left the hall, all of them talking about ideas of what they would receive from the Ghost Princess.

"Speaking of spiders...," Kairi looked up and let out a shrill whistle.

Both DJ and Austin looked up to see a handful of freakish creatures, which looked like a combination of huge spiders and mice stitched together, descend from the dark shadows of the ceiling.

"What the hell are those!?" the musician demanded, a little freaked at the new monstrosities.

"Who, these?" Kairi asked as she idly scratched the underbelly of one of the creatures, pleasing it, "These are Spider Mice, creations of Doctor Hogback. Aren't they nice?" she snapped her fingers.

Before his eyes and before he can do anything, Austin watched as the two spiders practically flew around DJ's body, a thick stream of web-like material wrapping out him. Soon, he was bound tighter more than before.

DJ grunted as he tried to get free, "Why you little pieces of sh-,"

"That's enough out of you for now," Kairi snapped her fingers again and the Spider Mice wrapped another layer of webbing, this time around DJ's mouth, silencing him. Right after that, they pulled him into the dark ceiling.

"Now that he's out of the way," Kairi reached down and grabbed Austin's chin, forcing him to look at her, "What to do with you?"

Austin gave a suggestion by spitting right in her face.

Kairi growled a little, but calmly reached up and wiped the saliva from her face, "Normally, I'd throw you to Anubis, who should be having a good time in the forest right about now, or I'd hand you over to Theodore so he could make mincemeat out of you, but...TOBIAS!"

Almost instantly the young boy appeared, rushing up to the dark captain's side.

"Yes, Captain? You called?"

Kairi nodded, hauled Austin to his feet and shoved him to Tobias, "Here, do with him what you want. I'm not gonna waste my time on him,"

"Thank you, Captain!"

The Blood Countess watched Tobias drag the thrashing cabin boy away, then looked down at her spoils, "We lost a pack, but gained some guests," she shrugged lightly and headed back to her drink, "Balance in the universe, I suppose,"

--

"Grr...remind me again why the Master let that Countess and her crew here without harm?" Absalom growled as he leaned against a pillar, staring ahead while Perona looked out at the island, "We don't need allies, we need bodies and shadows and with every new body on this island, that's potential recruits! Countess alone has a large force to-,"

"To kill a large Marine base," Toby finished as he stepped out of the shadows, looking at Perona as he went straight past Absalom, "I'd be careful about you say, pervert, I'll bite your head off...or better yet," he unsheathed Black Fang and held it outward, pointing at the man's throat, "I'll slice it clean off,"

Again, Absalom growled and batted the katana away, "You don't scare me, pup...,"

"Enough you two!" Perona spun on her heels and put her hands on her hips, looking annoyed at their antics, "You'll get enough fighting when the time is right, so until then, stop it, you're ruining the peace and quiet!"

"He started it," Toby muttered, sheathing his weapon, "What are you two doing, anyway?"

"_Ghost Network_,"

"Huh?"

Perona held up a hand as a small number of her ghosts came flying through the window. Toby watched them fly around Perona a few times before huddling around her, whispering something inaudible, even for Absalom and Toby.

"Horo-horo-horo!" Perona giggled as the ghosts flew around again, "It's about our guests on the island," she said in a sing-song voice.

"Spill it," Toby ordered, crossing his arms, "Right now,"

"You're no fun," Perona stuck out her tongue, "Remember their ship?"

"Yeah, Talleran and his Spider Mice lassoed it and hid in the back behind the island, why?"

Perona held up her hands and wagged her fingers playfully, "We got rid of their ride, but there's another pirate boat docked!"

Both Toby and Absalom were surprised at this.

"It's true!" Perona continued, "I sent my _Ghost Network_ around to try and find the other pirates, then spy on them, but they saw that coming in and decided to report back,"

"So they didn't find the others from Axe's group?"

"That's not the point, wolfboy!"

"I'm just trying to get the info here so I can report back to my Captain,"

"You're just trying to spoil my fun,"

"How the hell am I-?" Toby stopped and rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Forget it...,"

--

"Man, she's out cold...,"

"I know, she took a little beating from one of the fleabag's followers,"

"She's damn lucky she didn't get killed or turned into one of those,"

"I know, I know...look, I'm gonna keep an eye on her, you go back and keep an eye out for anything new. If there's something that I should know about, slip away and find me back here, alright?"

"Alright, alright! What about the penguin and the fox?"

"I don't think they're going to leave her side...not by a long shot,"

--

As he tried to hang onto consciousness, Azu found himself being wheeled through the corridors of the mansion, strapped to a gurney as Eliza and Stitches pushed him from behind. The pain he had suffered for the past while was excruciating, and he was surprised that he hadn't passed out or died just yet. Eliza had finished her sick sense of surgery on him and both he and Stitches thought she'd leave him alone for awhile, but Eliza said something about a little "family reunion". Due to his state of mind caused by his pain, Azu couldn't figure out what she meant by that.

Eliza pushed the gurney around a corner into a large hall, one of the larger ones of the mansion and stopped a few feet from a huge shadow.

"Look who has a visitor," Eliza patted Azu on the cheek as she looked up at the shadow, "A reunion between brothers...say hi Goheno,"

_Goheno?!_ Azu tried to focus his mind and vision as the shadow loomed down, getting into the light of the corridor. When it did, Azu was shocked at what he saw.

Indeed, it was Goheno, but he looked very, very different than from when he last saw him. He was still the same height of roughly eighteen feet, and he was still bald, as far as he could tell, but half or maybe most of his body was covered in metal...or at least it looked as though it were covered in metal. Most of the right side of Goheno's body was metal; his massive arm and hand had been replaced with shiny metallic materials...hell, he didn't even have a hand anymore! In the place of his right hand, he had a strange appendage that looked like...a cannon? Azu's eyes wandered from the metal parts of Goheno's torso to the traces of metal he had on his legs, and then to the left side of his face, which looked like it had a metal plate welded into his flesh and a red piece of glass or something in his right eyesocket. Aside from the metal, there was quite a few surgical and battle scars on his regular body.

"Goheno...," Azu muttered, eyes wide in horror at his brother, "What the hell did they do to you?"

"Oh, just a little something something to make him stronger than he was before," Eliza answered, leaning over so her face was directly over Azu's face, "Funny thing. One day, we came across a Marine battleship, which was poorly manned, by the way, and after taking it over, we discovered a cache of documents that was going somewhere, I don't remember, but inside the documents were plans for a very special breed of people," she traced a finger along Azu's face, "Do you know what a Pacifista is?"

Azu just kept silent.

"Well, I'll tell you. A Pacifista is a cyborg, made by the incredible genius of Doctor Vegapunk. Pacifista's are like walking battleships, mainly because it takes a ton of money just to build one, but it's incredibly powerful," Eliza sighed, "We got that information from one person we let live for questioning, but even with that intelligence, we discovered that these weren't the exact plans for a Pacifista. It turns out that many other people were trying their hands at that which Vegapunk created, so they drew up their own plans. Those plans were what we found were for Imitation Pacifista, as I called them. Now, I would've loved to get my hands on the real plans for the Pacifista's but I don't think that's possible right now. Even if I did manage to get my hands on one, I can't achieve Vegapunk's genius, so I took what I can and used what knowledge I have in the sciences and 'augmented' Goheno here," she looked up at him, "Doesn't he look great?"

Azu glared at her, "You turned my brother into-," he was cut off as Eliza clamped her hand around his mouth.

"Please don't say anything bad about him," she whispered in a warning tone, "You see, Goheno is still his slow, sensitive self. If you, his big adopted brother insults him, who knows what he'll do when he gets mad? I don't think you wanna risk that, do you?"

Azu mumbled something.

Eliza removed her hand, "Beg your pardon?"

"I said 'fuck you bitch!', you hear me that time?!"

The surgeon sighed and shook her head, "It seems that someone needs a timeout as well as some rest...," she looked up at Goheno, "I'll take him back to get some sleep, he just had a long surgery, Goheno. But, I promise you, I'll bring him back to visit you again, okay?"

Goheno nodded, "Thank you, Lizzy...,"

Rage was going back and forth in Azu, and that rage gave him new strength despite the pain. He thrashed on the gurney, trying to get free and kick some bad guy ass, but he was still too weak to escape and exact punishment on those who manipulated and altered his brother like that. As Eliza pushed him down the corridor, Azu let loose every curse, and every threat he had ever heard in his life. Stitches stayed behind and leaned against the wall, looking up at Goheno.

"Sorry you had to see that big guy. Lizzy will get him to be a better person," he patted the hybrid's hand, "Don't worry,"

"I hope so...," Goheno looked on as Azu and Eliza turned the corner, "Why did he turn bad?"

"I don't know, but we'll get him to turn over a new leaf," Stitches promised him, _What a fucking moron...big, strong, and stupid...a triple threat! This is so damn funny..._

--

A loud wincing made Jinko stop moving and turn back to see Isaac leaning against the wall, holding his injury.

"Are you sure you can move around, Isaac-kun?"

"Yeah," the blonde waved the assassin off, "I'll be just fine, Jinko-chan, don't worry. Just stings every now and then, that's all, I'm perfectly fine,"

"If you wanna sit down-?"

"I said I'm fine!" Isaac snapped irritably before calming down for a few moments, "Sorry, Jinko-chan, I didn't mean to snap, it's- just-,"

"I know," Jinko nodded, knowing the cause for the outburst, "Don't worry about it," she looked down the hallway, then leaned around the nearest corner, "Okay, I don't see anyone coming, it's save to move around...,"

"Good...stay clear of halls with ugly portraits,"

"I know, I remember...,"

--

Night came and things had not improved for any of the Axe-Heads. Niri still hadn't returned, DJ and Austin were late coming back and the bad feeling in the back of Devon's mind kept growing. There was something very wrong with the others, he knew that, but he just couldn't place it.

_Macleod, I don't know what the fuck is keeping you, but you better be keeping my little brother safe, or I will gut you alive, so help me Odin!_ he took a deep breath and exhaled as a tapping was felt on his shoulder.

Looking behind him, he saw Lola and the Risky Brothers standing there.

"What? Something wrong?"

Lola shook her head, "No, but there could be if you and the others don't get any sleep,"

"We can't-,"

"You have to, or else you're not going to be fit to save your Captain and nakama," Lola cut him off abruptly, "Don't worry, my crew and I can keep watch while you sleep, we're used to staying up through the night lately," she nudged him forward, "Get going, get some sleep,"

Knowing that they should stay alert, but also be on their toes for the fight ahead, Devon knew that she was right. Thanking Lola for the help, Devon walked over to his nakama and ordered them to sleep while the Rolling Pirates kept watch. There were some arguments, some concerns, but in the end, they all lay down for the night, unable to do anything right now. As he drifted off to sleep, Devon hugged Kirsty tightly, making sure that she was still with him.

_DJ, you and Austin be safe..._ he prayed mentally, _Niri, I don't know where you are right now, but I hope to Odin that you're safe! _he sighed_ We better be careful ourselves...that dream bitch could come anytime!  
_

--

The man who killed the werewolves was poking the campfire with a stick when Niri woke up screaming, bolting straight up. He watched her calm down and wake up from whatever it was that was scaring the crap out of her at that moment. No doubt the event from before gave her nightmares.

Niri looked herself over to see if she was alright, then she saw both Sora and Pingu rushing over to glomp her in joy. Thankful that they were all alright, Niri took a look around to see where she was: it was a small campsite, complete with a stash of food, bedding materials, and even a campfire with a strange man fiddling with it with a stick. Instinctively, she reached for her pistol, but...

"Glad to see you're awake," the man held up the gun, "Was wondering if you went into a coma or not. How are you feeling?"

"Cautious," Niri said quietly, staring at the man, "What happened, who are you?"

"You almost became a werewolf chewtoy, but I came and saved you from that fate," the man kept poking the fire as he set the pistol down next to him, "I knew you needed help, so with the help of you two small friends there, I brought you to our camp,"

"Our?"

"Our," the man nodded, "I have a friend who went off on a little job right now, but he helped me get you situated and looked over," he pulled the stick out of the fire and pointed to a pile of meat and fruit nearby, "I roasted some stuff for you if you're hungry. Don't worry, it's no wolf meat," he chuckled, "But you should eat, you're going to need your strength, Niri Zolaro,"

Niri had originally began to trust this guy, her heart told her she could, but when he said her full name, she went on full alert again.

"How do you know my name?"

"Wanted poster," the man replied almost immediately, "Not a bad bounty for a rookie...I'm impressed. Axe must be really proud of his new crew,"

Niri stared at him, _How does he know Axe? More importantly, how does he know that I'm part of his "new crew" ?_

"I know you wanna ask, so ask,"

She was taken back by that, but only by a bit. Swallowing, she rose to her feet, staring straight at the man, "Who are you?"

The man chuckled and rose to his feet himself, dusting off his set of black clothing, a pistol and holster now visible at his hip. He ran a hand through his messy black hair and looked right back at her with dark brown eyes as he moved the hair out of his face.

"My name is Thomas Horn. Nice to meet you,"

--

**Kilnorc: DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN!! Surprised? I bet you are!**

**On the next chapter of Endless Nightmare...**

**Niri: I remember now...Axe had your bounty poster back in Water 7!**

**Tommy: So, he's in trouble. Huh, guess that means that I have another job to do here.**

**Niri: You gotta tell me, Tommy, what happened three years ago?!**

**Herman: Where's that music coming from?  
**

**Friends of the Past  
**

**Jinko: Who the hell is that?**


	15. Friends of the Past

**Friends of the Past**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece**

**--**

"WHAT?! Are you sure?!"

Kairi sighed as she sat down in a chair, holding a fresh wine glass filled with her red drink, "Positive. Our old friend Tommy's here on Thriller Bark and he's using personal experience to kill off our troops," she took a long sip, "I didn't see this coming, I didn't expect him to show up...at all,"

Toby growled and gripped his katana, "I'll go take care of him," he turned to leave.

"No, Toby!" Kairi called after him, "He knows how you fight and no doubt he's gotten stronger himself over the past few years. You leave to take him on right now, you could end up dead just like the others,"

"Then what do we do?"

Kairi looked into her glass, drumming the armrest of her chair a bit.

"We wait...for now, get either Damien or Perona to find and spy on them,"

--

"Horn...Horn...HOLY CRAP!" Niri backed away a little, pointing at him, "I remember now...Axe had your bounty poster back in Water 7!"

Tommy scratched his chin, "Was wondering if he was keeping tabs on his old crew," he looked up at her, "He's told you about us, right?"

Niri nodded and slowly sank to the dirt, "Yeah...he did,"

"What did he tell you?"

"He...told us that you all betrayed him and nearly killed him with Kairi and Toby, his First and Second Mates...,"

Tommy snorted, "A bit far from the truth, but I guess in the circumstances, might as well be that," he poked the campfire idly, "What're you doing here on Thriller Bark, Miss Zolaro?"

"Uh...," Niri tried to regain her composure as the meeting of Axe's old nakama still shocked her, "Uh...w-well, we left Water 7 and were headed to the Shabondy Archipelago, but one way or another...," she trailed off, "Wait a minute, what are _you_ doing here?!"

"That's a bit complicated, to tell the truth," Tommy grunted and leaned back, "For the past few years, I've been hunting Kairi and Toby, wanting to deal with them as I saw fit for their crimes. I've done many things for information and to get stronger. I was on my way to Shabondy myself because I heard some rumors that I needed to look in on, but...," he shook his head, "The details are not important so, here I am,"

So many things were going through Niri's skull. She had so many things to ask, so many things she needed to know...where the hell was she going to start?!

"You okay?"

Niri glanced at him, "Axe...,"

Tommy nodded, "Yeah, I know he's here, I mean he _has_ to be if you're here, right?"

Niri nodded and chewed on her thumbnail, "Axe and Azu went to go fight Kairi and Toby...,"

The older man looked right at her, "...what?"

"They went to go fight them, while we stayed on our ship," Niri said again, slowly, "They didn't come back, so we went to go see what happened to them...," she began to choke up a little, "They were hurt really badly...oh God, she had them strung up from the ceiling, all covered in blood...," she trailed off, on the verge of crying.

"That's okay, you don't need to go on," Tommy held up a hand, "I get the picture. So, he's in trouble. Huh, guess that means I have another job to do here," he pulled out his pistol from his hip holster and made sure it was fully loaded.

Niri looked at the gun and was surprised to see that it had a curved blade on the handle, much like Gosler's were in the East Blue, but different due to jagged teeth in the blade, "Nice peacemaker,"

"Thanks," Tommy lowered the gun back into the holster.

"It was you, wasn't it?"

The older man looked up at her, "Sorry?"

"It was you...the one who killed the two wolves, then the whole pack of them? That was you, wasn't it?"

"I did just say I saved you from a fate of becoming a lycanthrope," Tommy reminded her, "So yeah, it was me, kid,"

Duh, I heard that! Why the hell did I ask him that?! Niri's stomach growled loudly, making her smile sheepishly as she patted the lower region of her body, "Uh...?"

"Right there," Tommy pointed at the food he had prepared, "Eat up, kid, you're gonna need your strength for what's ahead,"

As soon as her eyes locked onto the food, Niri grabbed the whole pile and split it among her and her two pet friends. Tommy watched in silence as he watched the two animals and the new Axe-Head stuffed their faces, apparently grateful for the food that soon entered their bellies.

"It's not much, but I have to try and keep the smoke and smell down to a minimum, I don't want to attract any unwanted guests,"

Niri mumbled something as she continued to eat.

Tommy looked up at the dark sky above him and waited for her to finish.

A short while later, Niri let out an appreciated exhale and patted her now full belly, as did Pingu and Sora (or the best they could do), "Much better! Thank you,"

"Don't mention it," Tommy looked back down at her, "So, how do you know Axe?"

"I got a better question," Niri's happy-for-food face disappeared and she took on a more serious look, "I'd like to know what a traitor to Axe is doing here, feeding his nakama and saving their life!"

The older man couldn't help but smile, "Right to business, hm? Well, I'll tell you right now, Niri: I didn't betray Axe," he shook his head, "In fact, I tried to save his life that very night Kairi and the others revolted against him,"

"...what?"

Tommy nodded and glanced off to the side, "I tried to save him from Kairi and the mutiny she had started, but I wasn't strong enough. I was hurt when I finally escaped myself, but I've spent the past few years training and traveling, getting stronger and stronger," his hand slowly moved over and tapped the pistol in his holster, "I could never betray Axe, never,"

"Oh, really?" Niri asked skeptically, "Why is that?"

"Because," Tommy looked back at her, "Axe saved my life, and for that, I owe him that very life,"

Niri's eye went wide, "Say what?"

"Five years ago," Tommy cleared his throat, "I was living in the South Blue, on my home of Damzen Island when Axe and the others first arrived. I was making my living as a bounty hunter, along with the rest of my family, the Horns. He and his strange group of friends came to town, and we saw their mark and everything, but they didn't have a bounty...well, Axe did, but we didn't go after them. The sheriff of my town said that we should just leave them alone if they didn't cause any trouble,"

"Don't tell me that they did?" Niri asked, propping her head up on her arm.

"Depends on who you ask," Tommy chuckled, "They were a strange bunch, but I didn't like them at all,"

"How come?"

"Because, when you're raised in a family of bounty hunters, you're taught that all pirates and other criminals, whether they have bounties or not, are all bad, so you do what you can to keep the peace," Tommy began to tap his pistol again, "But that attitude of mine changed shortly after,"

"Why?"

Tommy took a deep breath and sighed, "Don Diablo,"

Niri blinked, "Don...Diablo?"

"Powerful sneak bastard who was a friend to the whole island but was really just after the Damzen Gold Mine," Tommy explained, "The name Don Diablo was just an alias so we didn't know who it really was. My family and I were hired to take out the Don and his criminal organization. However, it was a trap. The Don had set the whole thing up and his goons mowed everyone down with gunfire," Tommy pulled his shirt up and revealed numerous, already healed gunshot wounds, "I was laying on the ground, bleeding to death, when Axe and the others found me. No one else survived, and though I screamed at them to let me die, Axe was too stubborn to let that happen. He let Shruta, his doctor, take care of me and as if by a miracle, I was back on my feet in a few days...but the days spent with that pirate crew was awkward...," he shook his head, "I was taught that all pirates were evil, but here was a crew, working their hardest to save me. After I recovered enough, I went to find the Don and bring Justice to him, but Axe insisted that he and the others help,"

Niri smiled a little, Axe helping a bounty hunter...wow.

"Long story short, the Don was taken care of, but what had happened during that time was recorded as an attack on the gold mine, which was being used to help fund the World Government. I was labeled as a conspirator, so I got a bounty myself, as did the rest of Axe's crew and Axe got a new bounty,"

"Wait! I heard about that!" Niri leaned forward, "I read in a newspaper that pirates attacked a gold mine in the South Blue, but it didn't have any details!"

_And I didn't see any of Axe's new bounty..._

Tommy continued, "The day they were leaving, a Marine came and tried to take me in for my bounty, and even though that the sheriff was insisting that I was a good person, the Marine said that I was a criminal, so I had to be taken in. Heh, ironic, when you think about it. I fought him and was about to lose when Axe and the others showed up, saving me yet again,"

"Axe makes a habit out of helping people," Niri grinned knowingly.

"Anyway, after saving my life again, I had to repay him. My family and I have a code of honor which includes paying back what is owed. Axe saved my life, so I swore an oath to him, pledging my loyalty to him as his gunman. I would travel and fight alongside him until the debt that I owe is repaid,"

Niri looked at him for a long moment, "But that doesn't explain...," she trailed off and shook her head, "You gotta tell me, Tommy, what happened three years ago?!"

The former bounty hunter stared at the campfire, "You _really_ want to know, huh, kid?"

"Yeah, I do!" Niri nodded furiously, "Listen, Tommy...Kairi and Toby ruined my life a few years back, sometime after they got rid of Axe! I would really like to know what happened that set those two freaks loose on the world!"

Slowly, Tommy looked up at her as the campfire snapped and crackled.

"_Please_, Tommy!"

"...awright...but don't say I didn't warn ya," Tommy adjusted himself, "It all started three years back, Kairi had just been attacked by an animal...,"

--

Normally, Herman probably wouldn't have gotten any sleep at all in a situation as dire as their current one, but he found himself waking up from a surprisingly peaceful sleep. Yawning, he got up and scratched his shell, half in and half out of his normal mind due to sleep. He was about to just fall over and go back to sleep when he heard something...something with a beat.

Music.

_Music?_ Herman walked out to the middle of the camp, ignoring the Rolling Pirates that walked around, _Where's that music coming from?_ he wondered after seeing that it wasn't coming from anywhere in the campsite. Looking around, he saw that the Rolling Pirates had noticed the music, but not one of them was asking about it...it was as if they had heard it before. He was about to ask what it was when he saw lights in the distance, sparkly, colorful lights deeper into the forest, somewhere between the camp and the mansion where his nakama were being kept.

_What the hell **is** that?_

--

"...and that's the last I saw of either of them that night," Tommy finished his story, "I woke up injured really badly, so I spent some time healing, and I've been getting stronger ever since, wanting to find Kairi and Toby and bring about the Justice that only nakama can give them,"

Niri, Sora and Pingu just stared, eyes wide and their jaws resting on the ground.

"Hey, I warned you," Tommy rose to his feet and leaned backward, making loud snaps and cracks from his spine before coming back to normal posture, "Anyway, that's the truth, Niri Zolaro, that's what I know,"

"B-B-B-But...," Niri slapped herself hard to get her mind straight before shooting to her feet as well, "But does Axe know about her and her-?!"

Tommy shook his head, "No, he doesn't. I was going to, but I never had the chance. As far as he knows, Axe believes that Kairi is a monster, just like Toby, and he's going to have to resort to old superstition to beat her,"

"So that's why she and Toby were able to beat him!" Niri rubbed her chin, taking in all the info, "Normally, they wouldn't be able to because he was so strong, so she got new strength and took her chance to-,"

"You still don't get it," Tommy cut her off, "Until that time three years ago, neither Kairi or Toby would've tried to kill Axe,"

"But you said-!"

"I said that because of _that_, she got new strength and changed into something. I didn't say she was _evil_," Tommy shook his head, "There's something bigger behind this mess, Niri, and I'm trying to find out what it is," he pulled out his pistol and spun it around his finger, "Despite the cause of this, Kairi and Toby still did the unthinkable and went against their captain, therefore they must be punished. However, before I complete the job, I'm gonna get every bit of information I can out of them so I can try and make sense out of this and make it right,"

"But what about Axe and Azu?!"

"What about them?"

Niri slapped Tommy upside the head, "They're in trouble!"

"I know that,"

"Then focus on _saving_ them!"

The two gunners glared at one another, the air filled with tension so thick, one could cut it with a knife.

"Well, well, well...isn't _this_ a surprise?" a cold voice greeted them from the side, causing both of them to snap their heads around, "Hello Mister Horn,"

"_You!_"

"Who's _that_?!"

--

Jinko frowned, "Who the hell is that?" she hissed to Isaac as she pointed to a small grouping on a level below them in the mansion.

"I don't know, Jinko-chan," the blonde doctor shook his head, "I don't know...too hard to see the new one, but I know who their fighting with,"

The two outlaws had been lurking around the mansion for sometime now, avoiding everyone as much as possible. When they came to a large hall, they could hear fighting and voices coming from below, so they had decided to sneak a peek and see what was going on. Down below, Kairi the Blood Countess was in a sword fight with a man in black. The man was holding a wicked looking katana, but his identity was covered by a black bandanna that covered the top half of his face while Kairi had her black armor and rapier out.

"Something tells me we should've brought binoculars or something," Isaac muttered under his breath, "I can't see anything good!"

"Trust me, you're not missing much," Jinko whispered, "I can see them alright, I just can't see that guys face!"

The two of them watched as Kairi and the masked man exchanged sword strikes at impressive speeds.

"Whoever that is, he knows how to fight with a sword...," Jinko murmured, "I don't know if he's an enemy of the Countess or if he's just a sparring crewmate,"

Both opponents kept going at it, over and over, blocking, slashing, thrusting, until the masked man took one final lunge, slashing at Kairi like a storm, coming to a stop behind her. Kairi grinned as she heard the sound of cloth tearing, and watched as the black bandanna fluttered to the floor out of the corner of her eye. The attacker sheathed his sword and was about to look back at her, but one of the many Spider-Mice came down from the ceiling, spun it's web around him and hauled him to the dark ceiling above. As it carried away the abductee, the Spider-Mouse could've sworn it saw two others on the way up, but when it looked back, all it saw was empty space.

Jinko watched intently from their hiding space as the Spider-Mouse retreated to the ceiling. Sighing in relief, she released Isaac and removed her hand from his mouth. The rogue_ Tenryuubito_ took a long, but quiet gasp of air into his lungs before glaring at her.

"What're you trying to do, Jinko-chan, kill me?!" he hissed.

"Trying to keep both of us out of being captured," Jinko muttered, heading down the corridor, "I was captured once, and I sure as hell won't let that happen again,"

"Wait up, Jinko-chan!"

Below on the lower level, Kairi bent down and picked up the slashed bandanna, looking at it closely.

_Just how many people are going to come here?_ she wondered as she looked it over, _He has a reputation, and he's strong with a sword...when Moria-sama wakes up, I'll be sure to let him know of this man's abilities..._

A loud cracking sound made her look down just in time to watch her body armor not only crack, but fall apart and hit the floor in pieces.

_Impressive..._ Kairi clenched the bandanna, _I wonder what would've happened if we both weren't holding back our power?_ she looked up at the ceiling.

"Why _did_ you hold back, 'Shadow Blade' ?"

She looked away and back at the mixed group of her crew and zombies of Thriller Bark, "Spread out and search! Anyone you find that you don't recognize, bring them to me or one of the others immediately!"

"Yes ma'am!!"

Kairi cracked her neck as she kicked away the armor pieces away, "Where the hell is Ryuuma, he's usually the one who wants to sword fight!"

--

_"Encircle the mansion  
Let's, Fiesta Night!  
We will not let a single pirate escape  
_

_Everybody, Zombie Night  
Round and round until you die!  
Everybody, Zombie Night  
Round and round until you die!  
_

_ZOMBIE NIGHT!  
_

_Everybody, Zombie Night  
Round and round until you die!  
Everybody, Zombie Night  
Round and round until you die!  
_

_Everybody, Zombie Night  
Round and round until you die!  
_

_ZOMBIE NIGHT!"_

Herman stared from a safe place as dozens, maybe hundreds of zombies danced under the light of a massive disco ball that filled the area with colorful sparkles of light. The Fish-Man shook his head, "What kind of dead people dance and sing?" he scratched his head, "This place just keeps getting stranger and stranger,"

A loud scream ripped through the air. Herman's stalks swiveled around as more and more shouts and screams traveled through the night air.

_That came from the camp!_ Herman rolled himself into a ball and propelled himself through the forest, "Hang on guys, I'm coming!"

--

**Kilnorc: Oh man, tons of stuff happening, huh? -rubs eyes- I'm trying to get all my ideas and details together, but that will take some time, so PLEASE...be patient as I try and make this without it EFFing up the storyline, okay? Please, for me, you're lovable author? Hahaha...okay. Also, I'm sure some of you are wondering what the story was, and I'm sure that a few of my closest conspirators of this series already know so...no saying in the review or else you'll spoil it! Shush!**

**On the next chapter of Endless Nightmare...**

**Tommy: I caught you two before...this time things will be different!**

**Niri: Oh, that is just sick!**

**Herman: What the hell is that?!**

**Dusty: SOMEONE GET ME DOWN FROM HERE!**

**Bad Things Come in Three**

**Kirsty: Eat this!**


	16. Bad Things Come in Three

**Bad Things Come in Three  
**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece**

**Kilnorc: Okay, I figured after a while, I may as well do ONE...uh, TWO Bloodless Vampires vs Axe-Head crew battles. First official ones of the arc, folks, enjoy! I'm not officially back yet, but this should not only please the awaiting masses, but keep them wanting more.**

**Axe: You evil bastard!**

**Kilnorc: Nah, just evil.**

* * *

"Tommy, you didn't answer me!" Niri hissed to her new partner, staring at the intruders ahead of them, "Who are these two!?"

Standing in front of them were two people, a man and a woman, and right off the bat, Niri could tell that they weren't there to be their friends in this hellhole.

The first person, the man, was dressed in what was probably once fine clothing. He wore dark dress slacks, a long-sleeved shirt, dark vest over that and a pair of dirty dress shoes. He was of average height, unusually pale for a man with dark circles around his eyes and a head of dark, somewhat puffy hair. Another odd thing about him was that in his hair, he had a streak of white that was visible even in the dim camp fire light. On his hip, he wore some kind of leather pouch that was rolled up and tied around his waist. In each hand, he carried a beautiful, silvery blade of some kind.

The woman didn't look any better than her male counterpart. She too, had very pale skin, and dark, frizzy hair. If it wasn't torn and dirty, the dress she was wearing would've been very lovely. In one of her hands, she had her hand around the handle of a meat cleaver, which had obviously seen recent work, given the dark red stains on the metal of the blade.

Tommy gripped his pistol, "Sweeney Todd and Nellie Lovett, a couple of killers with a combined bounty of over 200,000,000 Beli!" he glared at the two intruders, "I ran into them a year or two back, caught them and handed them over to the Marines,"

"How the hell did you do that when you have a bounty yourself?"

Tommy flashed a grin, "I got some friends here and there, believe it or not, Niri. What I'm wondering is how the hell you two got loose?"

Sweeney smirked, fingering his silver blades, "We were about to be transferred to another prison, but then the Blood Countess came and freed us. We helped our young friend and we ended up joining her crew. By the way, Mister Horn, I'm surprised you called me by that name. Up until the moment you actually captured me, you kept calling me Barker,"

"Well that is...was your name, before you went bad," Tommy shot back, "Ol' Ben Barker, a man who killed quite a few officials before being caught with his accomplice over there," he shot a glare at Lovett, "You two made me ill before, but now that Kairi's recruited you, I feel even worse,"

Niri scowled, "You're part of that bitch's crew?!" she cracked her neck, "Ooooh, this is going to be sweet,"

"I caught you two before...this time, things _will_ be different! Might want to get some heat in those hands of yours, Zolaro," Tommy quickly double-checked his pistol for ammo, "With these two, it's best to keep a safe distance,"

"Like we'll give her a chance to do that!"

Niri shot a quick look at Tommy, "Any advice?"

"Just what I said before, attack from a distance. They're_ really_ good with blades,"

"How good?"

"Good enough to kill people in high positions and use their corpses as food,"

Niri's jaw opened, a sickened look on her face, "Oh, that is just _sick_!"

* * *

When Herman reached the camp, he discovered that most of the Rolling Pirates and all of his nakama weren't in the area at all. Worried and confused, Herman looked around for his nakama, but he found a couple of the Rolling Pirates running into the woods on the other side of the camp. A bad feeling in his gut, Herman ran after them and after breaking through a thick patch of vegetation, he came to a complete halt, his eyestalk opening all the way.

"What the hell is _that_?!"

Ahead of him was one of the biggest and freakiest looking plants he had ever seen, and that was saying something! It looked like some kind of mutated form of a Venus Fly Trap he had read about in a book years back, but this one was bigger...way bigger! It was at least three times as big as a normal-sized man and dozens of thick vines stretched out in all directions around it. In the trap flaps itself, Herman could swear he could see sharp fangs. Herman was curious as to what kind of plant this was, exactly, but when he realized a handful of Rolling Pirates were being squeezed and flung around by the vines of the plant, as well as his nakama attacking the plant itself, he decided that curiousity would have to wait. Breaking out into a run, he darted right at the plant, both his hands curling into fists.

Devon saw him coming as he hacked at a vine and dodging another one, "It's about damn time, Herman, where the hell have you been?!"

"Not now, Dev!" Herman leapt at the plant, only to be struck hard in the chest by a vine whip, sending him flying into the woods surrounding the plant. He broke through a couple of trees before landing on the dirt, his chest now sporting a large, bleeding cut. Holding his head, Herman sat up and grimaced, "Just what the hell kinda plant is this thing?!"

While Herman was busy, his nakama were trying to not only free the Rolling Pirates, but to take down the man-eating plant. Devon jumped, ducked, swerved and slashed the numerous vines that protruded from the plant's main body. Everytime he cut into it, he could swear that the plant screamed in pain. Landing on a tree branch, he looked right at the monstrous flora, "This is nuts! Do these kind of plants live in the Grand Line or is this some kind of mutant made from Kairi's mind?!" he saw an incoming vine and he began to move out of the way, but something struck him in the chest and the next thing he knew, a great, sharp pain filled his torso as he found himself stuck to the tree.

"What the hell-?!" he looked down to see that another vine from the plant had pierced his body and was now pinning him to the tree, his blood trickling down the thick appendage, "It decoyed me?! You gotta be kidding me, it's just a plant, how could it decoy me?!"

The girls were having their own hard times with the carnivorous plant. The three of them were trying to free the screaming Rolling Pirates from the clutches of the plant, but they weren't doing any better. Though they did manage to avoid being impaled by the plant, they each suffered hard whip attacks from said plant. After being hit by an especially strong hit, Kirsty and Chizuru hit the dirt and skipped a few times before rolling to a stop, their weapons clutched in their hands.

Kirsty winced, blood rolling down the side of her head, "I don't understand...how can a plant be like this? I've seen plants like this before, only much smaller and they only eat insects!"

Chizuru coughed, a bit of blood mixed with her saliva, "I've read about plants like these, but I only thought it was just the tall tales of explorers gone mad. I never really thought I'd ever see a real one," she surprised Kirsty with a grin, "You'd think by now, I'd be more open-minded,"

"Wait, you know what that is?!" Kirsty pointed a sai at the plant, "Seriously?!"

Chizuru nodded, "Yes. It's a man-eating plant-,"

"Well, no shit!"

"...and it's most likely from the Boin Archipelago," Chizuru looked hard at the plant, "I read accounts of pirates and Marines that visited that place and were under constant attack by huge, man-eating plants and gigantic bugs,"

"How gigantic are we talking about?"

Chizuru shrugged, "Don't remember right now, and I don't think that's really important. Especially since that thing's got a hold of Dusty and is holding her above it's mouth!"

"SOMEONE GET ME DOWN FROM HERE!!!" the Devil Fruit miko screamed as she squirmed, her scythes going around in all directions as she desperately tried to free herself, "GET ME DOWN, NOW!"

Kirsty groaned as she got to her feet, "I swear, she must have a sign that says 'Take me, I'm free game for being taken as a prisoner or food for big things!'...," she shook her head, "Glad Niri's not here, she'd freak out at the sight of that thing. I just hope she's doing better than we are,"

* * *

"You-,"

Duck.

"...gotta-,"

Dodge

"...be kidding!"

Niri tried her best not to fall on her rear as she moved back away from Lovett and her cleaver.

"Hold still, dearie," Lovett shot her a cruel smile, "Move too much, I'll have problems with the meat,"

"Gee, I guess I should stop moving then!" Niri snapped sarcastically, "Get the hell away from me, you fucking psycho bitch! Tommy!"

"A little busy here, Niri!"

"I need my guns! Where are they?!"

"Just look around, you'll find them!" Tommy shouted as he ducked twin slashings from Todd's silvery blades, "Still using those, huh, Barker?"

"They're my friends, they always help me!" Todd held up his gleaming razor blades, "I've killed many people with these friends of mine, bounty hunter, and they can't wait to add you to their count! Truth be told, neither can I!"

* * *

_When I agreed to fight against the bastards who held our nakama captive, I didn't exactly imagine doing this!_ Herman thought as he clung onto a vine that was swinging violently from side to side. Either the plant that was fighting against them was trying to throw him off, or it was trying to hurt him and make him sick at the same time.

Devon wasn't exactly having a great time either. He managed to cut himself from the vine that pinned him to the tree, but the vine piece that actually went through him was still lodged into his chest. Every move he made, every swipe he did with his blades, it hurt like hell, and he couldn't do anything about it right now. However, despite his injury, he was able to free Dusty from the plant's grip. The jump he made over it's mouth put a strain on his legs, but when he cut her free, the kitsune clutched onto him and that put a bigger strain on his whole body.

Chizuru had sheathed her weapons and pulled out one of the bigger daggers at her disposal, wanting to use a free hand in this fight. Unable to cut the vines off with said knife, she was able to slice into them to make them back off while she tried to use her pyrokinesis on the plant. Every now and then, she managed to make pieces of the plant monster start to smoke, but that just seemed to make it even angrier and the next thing she knew, she was swatted off to the side so hard, she plowed into a large group of the Rolling Pirates, knocking them all on their asses.

Dusty tried her best, but when her scythes didn't work, and since she wouldn't have enough time to do miko spells, she reverted to her animal form and just jumped onto the plant monster, digging her canines into whatever soft spot she could find, which was pretty difficult because it seemed that most of the outer shell of the plant was harder than most plants should be. It was also because of that fact that neither Herman or Kirsty seemed to get any damage on anything except the vines themselves.

After failing multiple times to do any serious damage to the plant beast, the five pirates regrouped and tried to reassess their situation.

"Anyone got any bright ideas as to how we take this green bastard down?" Devon asked, gripping his swords.

"We can't seem to get very close to it, and if we do get close, it either bats us away, tries to eat us, or we can't do a damn thing to it!" Kirsty rubbed her chin, "All we can do is hurt it through the vines, but I don't see how that'll help us kill it,"

"Well, we better think of something fast, because if we can't beat a plant, what chance do we have of beating those freaks in the mansion?!"

Good question, Kirsty looked long and hard at the plant, The vines are giving us trouble and the outside is hard enough to withstand attacks...I wonder?

"Guys, gimme some room here!" Kirsty put her hands together and began to concentrate, "Hope this works...,"

Chizuru knew what she was doing and pulled the others back. They soon began to realize what she was about to do.

Kirsty looked right at the plant as she felt her ki pool into her hands, "You want something to munch on, Snappy? Alright...eat this!" she brought her arms upward and unleashed the gathered energy, "_RYU HI!_"

A bright flash of white light erupted from her hands and flew through the air a short time before colliding with the giant plant. As soon as it hit the plant's main body, the energy exploded and the plant let out an ear-piercing scream. When the pocket of smoke cleared, the Axe-Heads saw that a patch of the outer shell of the plant was gone, but it was only a small patch.

"I think I have an idea...,"

* * *

**Kilnorc: Uhm...-scratches chin- Yeah, I'm still trying to plan out the details of these fights, so I'm winging it. As you can see, I DID find a possible origin place for the plant Anubis, thank you Oda for sending Usopp to an island filled with flesh-eating plants and huge ass bugs. As for Todd and Lovett, many of you know I've said I got them from a fan, but I didn't know much about them at the time FOR the longest time, so due to this, compared to the others in the crew, they're pretty much minor characters. Hope ya'll liked it!**

**On the next chapter of Endless Nightmare...**

**Niri: You're carrying around a piece like that?**

**Kirsty: HERMAN! HOW'S YOUR THROWING ARM?!**

**Tommy: If you think I'm gonna let you assholes win, especially after you joined her crew, then you're sadly mistaken!**

**Pingu: I'm coming, you guys!**

**Unusual Tactics  
**

**Niri: What the hell...did I just do...?**


	17. Unusual Tactics

**Unusual Tactics**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece.**

* * *

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, where is it?!" Tommy darted around the campsite, looking for something close to him, something that would help him fight off his old enemy on a more even battleground.

"You can run all you want, Horn, my blades will still rend your flesh!" Todd shouted as he gripped his razors, "Come, come, let's not delay the inevitable, Horn, just welcome them!"

Tommy jumped out of the way of a cross slash attack from the member of the Bloodless Vampires and watched as the tree that was behind him received a deep X gash in it's bark, _SHIT! I forgot just what he's capable of with those things! Where is-?_ he noticed something large resting on the ground behind another nearby tree, _There we go! Come to Daddy!_

Niri, meanwhile, was still dodging the cleaver from the psycho woman that was on her tail.

_Where the hell do these freaks keep popping up? There's gotta be some psychopathic killer breeding grounds somewhere in the world!_

A loud gunshot rang through the area and both Niri and her opponent came to a stop, then turned to the source of said gunshot. Out of the treeline, Tommy marched into view, carrying a large rifle with an unusually large and wicked looking bayonet, the barrel of the rifle smoking.

_Holy shit!_ Niri stared at the rifle, not believing the kind of weapon he was carrying, "You're carrying around a piece like _that_?"

"Fight now, talk later, Zolaro!"

* * *

Kairi sat in a large, comfortable looking chair, eyes staring out into space as she idly drummed her fingers on one of the arms of the chair. Things were going on and off for her and her crew at the moment, and right now, she couldn't help but wonder how things would continue to go. She managed to capture Axe and Azu, but she lost a fair amount of werewolves in her crew, then she was given two more members of Axe's crew as prisoners...at this rate, by the time she had all of Axe's new crew, she'd probably have lost half or most of her own.

Ah well, she could always get more subordinates.

A loud flapping was heard behind her, followed by the sound of feet hitting the floor, and Kairi knew who it was without even turning around.

"Damien,"

"I hope I'm not interrupting you, Captain?"

"No, I'm just thinking," Kairi took a sip of the drink she was holding in her free hand, "Where have you been?"

"Flying around, looking to see how our 'friends' are faring...oh, I also managed to pick up a new toy for Tobias, I believe it belongs to the Blood-Fist kid, by the size of it,"

"_Did_ you find our guests?"

"Yes, ma'am,"

"How _are_ they doing?"

Damien was silent.

"Damien...I asked you a question,"

"Uh...well," Damien walked into view, looking somewhat uncomfortable before taking a seat on a small stool nearby, looking straight at his captain, "It's hard to say,"

Kairi looked at her Zoan user subordinate, "Say it,"

Damien sighed and shook his head, "They're actually holding out longer than we thought. The Zolaro woman and the Horn man you were talking about earlier are fighting our recent nakama, and the rest of Axe's crew are fighting Anubis...and they're actually not being eaten,"

"What're you saying, Damien?"

"I'm saying that they're stronger than we gave them credit for. After all, these people did fight the World Government and lived, recently," Damien rubbed his chin, "You know that I'm willing to fight anyone for you, Captain, but are you sure this is wise? To go through all this trouble for just one man and his new crew?"

Kairi shot him a dark look, "When you live the life I've had recently, when you been through what I've been through, then you can ask me that, but until then don't ever question me on this again,"

"Yes, ma'am, sorry," Damien apologized quickly with a nod, "If you don't mind me asking, but what do you plan to do with all these people?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I know that you wish to hand Axe over to Stein Madro and the White Dragon over to Black Crow of the Revolutionaries, but what about the rest of his crew?"

"I've had some ideas, Damien,"

"May I speak a few ideas of my own, ma'am?"

Kairi shrugged and waved a hand, "Have at it, I got nothing else going on for me,"

The bird Zoan user cleared his throat, "Here's what I was thinking: for that lobster Fish-Man of his, we keep him with us but we go to Shabondy and sell him for a hefty price, maybe we could do the same with some of the other women of his crew,"

"What about the males?"

"Well...,"

"...that's all you can come up with at the moment, huh, Damien?"

"Well, we've been pre-occupied with losses and gaining prisoners, it's hard to think right sometimes,"

Kairi rolled her eyes, "Why don't you take that new toy for Tobias that you found, give it to him, then go out again and let me know how they're progressing,"

"...yes, ma'am,"

* * *

"I'm different from the others, I want you to know that,"

Tobias walked over to Austin, who sat on the floor of the room he was given, hands bound behind his back, one of his feet chained to a heavy peace of furniture. Toby walked over and carefully laid a teacup in front of him and stepped back a few feet, his own teacup in his hand.

Austin glanced at the cup, then just looked back up at the other boy.

"Really, I am different," Tobias took a long sip of his tea, "I'm not like these people. I'm not bloodthirsty, I'm not perverted, I'm not sadistic, and I'm most certainly not psychopathic. I guess you could say that I...am a prisoner, much like you,"

Austin raised an eyebrow, _Say what...?_

"I speak the truth," Tobias placed the teacup on a nearby dresser, "I knew Mister Todd and Miss Lovett before they were arrested...at first, I thought they were okay because they took me in when I had no one else. But then, after escaping and joining with The Blood Countess, I learned that I had made a big mistake. I loved them for taking me in like their own child, I really did, but when they started to go crazy like the rest of these bastards," he shook his head, "I can't leave them, I have no real skills, I have no one to take care of me...and I'm sure the second I try to escape them, one of them will either stab me or rip off my head,"

The room was silent.

"As I said, I'm not like them, I'm just a lonely prisoner," Tobias continued, looking straight at his "guest", "Really, I'm sorry and-,"

Austin cut him off by raising one of his legs and bringing his foot down onto the teacup nearby, shattering it and spilling the liquid inside.

Tobias looked at him, then at the teacup, and shook his head, "I see you're not in the mood for either chatting or for drinking," he rose from his seat and headed towards the door, "I'll be right back, I need to clean that up,"

As soon as Tobias left the room, Austin quickly moved his smashing foot back towards him, sending a couple of cup shards sliding to him. Sticking out his tongue, Austin turned and grabbed the biggest piece he could get his hands on and immediately began to use it to cut through the rope that held him together.

_I don't care about your backstory kid, I'm getting out of here one way or the other and I'm gonna kick your ass if I have to!_

Moments after he began to cut through, the ropes suddenly gave and fell apart, landing in a small heap behind him. Smiling, Austin tossed the shard and rubbed his wrists, grateful he managed to cut his way free of his bondage. Despite this progress however, there was still one problem: the chain around his leg.

_Okay, so how the hell am I gonna get **you** off?_

* * *

Kirsty jumped from tree branch to tree branch, trying to find the best place to execute her plan while her nakama continued their attack on the giant man-eating plant. She looked around, ducking and dodging vine whips from said plant, _I gotta find the bets spot...I need to find the best vantage point or else this is gonna end badly!_

Devon flew through the air, breaking a few branches before coming to a stop, pinned once again by a thick piece of plant vine, blood oozing from a new wound, "SHIT!" he grabbed the vine and tried to pull it out, but when that failed, he tried to cut it off like last time, but this time around the plant whipped him again, actually disarming him.

I don't believe this! he winced as the vine in his body dug deeper into him, "SOMEONE GET ME SOME HELP HERE?!" he screamed, holding the vine, hoping to keep it from going in any further, "ANYONE AT ALL!?"

"Just sit tight, Devon!" Dusty shouted back at him as she rolled out of her own batch of vines, "Kirsty, whatever you plan on doing, you better do it fast or else your boy toy's gonna be skewered like shish kabob!"

"I'm doing what I can, kit, just buy me some time!" Kirsty snapped as she jumped to another branch, the last branch she was on getting smashed by the plant, "This is harder than it looks, ya know!"

As if to prove her point, one of the plant's vines tripped her hard and she fell out of the tree, almost flat on her face. The doctor growled, her eye twitching violently, "This thing is starting to piss me off so much right now!" she cursed before scrambling back to avoid another vine whippng, "Dammit!". Looking around, she realized that she couldn't get to any of the nearby tree branches like she had originally planned on doing without getting smacked down, so she'd have to go with Plan B.

She took a deep breath, "HERMAN!!!"

The lobster Fish-Man's head poked out of a mesh of vines a short distance away, "WHAT?" he screamed back, voice barely audible over the now roaring plant monster.

"HERMAN! HOW'S YOUR THROWING ARM?!"

"WHAT?!"

Kirsty pointed to the top of the plant-monsters bulb/mouth, then made an arch gesture. Herman stared at her for a minute, trying to understand what the hell she was trying to tell him, but it soon came to him. He gave a quick nod, telling her that he understood and with some difficulty, was able to pull himself free of the monster's vines. The two pirates went to a safe distance, staying clear of the floral abomination.

"I can't believe you want me to do this...," Herman murmured, grabbing the back of Kirsty's outfit, "You're more crazy than other people in our crew because of this!"

"I know, just shut up and toss me!"

If there's any God up there watching, make sure she doesn't get killed! Herman gripped the doctor's clothing, spun around a few times and then finally threw his nakama hard, aiming straight for the man-eating plant that had his other nakama on their toes.

The blonde doctor flew upward at an angle, speeding towards the plant. She had a plan to beat this thing and this could be the one chance that had to do it, she couldn't miss! As soon as she was just about over it's mouth, she placed her hands together, pooling her ki into one place again. Her hands began to glow a white aura once more, but before she could launch another energy blast, it happened.

The plant, despite not having any visible eyes, seemed to know where everything around it was, including her! The entire plant itself seemed to rise up from the ground, it's maw opened wide. Kirsty soon realized what was going on, and there was no time to stop it.

"Oh, sh-!" she didn't have a chance to finish because the plant snapped it's jaws around her.

Everyone saw it happen, clear as day.

Kirsty had just been eaten by the giant plant monster!

"KIRSTY!"

"YOU LEAFY BASTARD, YOU ATE MY WIFE!"

"SHE GOT EATEN! HOLY SHIT, SHE GOT EATEN!"

* * *

**BOOM!**

A large chunk of tree went missing.

**BOOM! BOOM!**

Two more chunks went missing.

**BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!**

This time, an entire tree fell.

"Dammit!" Tommy lowered his rifle, trying to keep a lock on his enemy, "I swear, when I get a slug through you, Barker, you won't be getting up ever again!"

Todd grinned wickedly as he darted within striking range, "You keep talking about putting me down, bounty hunter, but so far you haven't done anything to prove it! Piece of advice: if you really want to kill somebody, stop talking about it and actually get on with it!" he swiped at him with both razors again, only to be blocked by Tommy's bayonet rifle.

The former bounty hunter pressed his rifle against Todd's razor blades, neither one of them making any headway. Tommy grunted as he tried to get a little leverage, _He wasn't this strong when I caught him! Did he really get this much stronger while traveling with Kairi and Toby?!_

A blurry movement made Tommy snap out of his thoughts. He saw one of Todd's razors coming for his eyes, so he reared his head back as quickly as he could, but even that wasn't quick enough. He winced as the razor ran straight across below his left eye. Blood immediately began to trickle down his cheek as he eased the pressure on his rifle and backed away, glaring daggers at Todd, who was currently licking the blood off the razors. Somehow, this bastard was able to lick the blood off the sharp instrument without cutting his tongue.

"Is that all you got, bounty hunter? If it is, then we're going to win this that much quicker!"

"If you think I'm gonna let you assholes win, especially after you joined her crew, then you're sadly mistaken!" Tommy lifted his rifle and ran straight at Todd, **"_Dash'n'Slash!_" (1)**

Todd scoffed and smirked, "I remember this technique, don't think you can pull it on me again!" he leapt high into the air and watched as Tommy sped under him, swinging his rifle hard. His bayonet blade gleamed as it sliced the air and into surrounding trees. Coming to a stop, Tommy looked behind him to see Todd landing on a tree branch as the trees in front of him groaned and fell over, their bark cut cleanly through.

_Looks like I'm gonna have to take it up a notch...I just hope Niri's doing okay!_ Tommy scanned the campsite, looking for the former Marine, but couldn't find her, the animals OR Lovett anywhere, _Where the hell did they go?!_

-Meanwhile-

_That bitch is frickin' insane!_

Pingu leaned out from behind a tree, eyes darting back and forth, taking in the area. He, Sora and Niri had been fighting that crazy cleaver-woman while that Tommy guy had been fighting the male and things were off to a rough start, since Niri couldn't find her guns, but things also took a possibly dangerous turn when Niri took off into the woods for some reason, the cleaver-woman on her tail and Sora on hers.

_I dunno if all members of this chick's crew is as crazy as she is, but if they are, we're in trouble!_ the pirate penguin looked around, _C'mon guys, where are you? Lemme know where you are, lemme know you're safe!_

As if on cue, a scream of pain ripped through the air, and it came from the part of forest ahead of him.

_NIRI!!!_ Pingu broke out into a run,_ I'm coming, you guys! Just hang on!_

While the Pimp of Penguins was making his way towards his nakama, said nakama were trying to stay alive. By trying to stay alive, it meant Sora was currently latched onto the psycho bitch's back, his teeth digging into her flesh while Niri tried to crawl away, her left should sporting a rather nasty wound inflicted by Lovett's now discarded cleaver that lay nearby. Lovett tried to pull and beat Sora off her, but the little Sky Fox was too stubborn to let her win.

_If you think I'm gonna let go of you after what you just did to Niri, then you're way off base!_ Sora thought as he dug his teeth in further, _Geez, this is nasty! Still, I gotta hold on for Niri's sake, I don't want her to die!_

"Get off me you filthy blue rat!" Lovett screamed, clawing at the Sky Fox, "I said get off!"

Holding her wounded shoulder, Niri staggered to her feet, a very angry look on her face. She didn't have that look because Lovett hacked into her shoulder, and she didn't have that look because of this woman's affiliation with Kairi, she had this look of pure anger because Lovett was hurting Sora.

_You can hurt me, you can cut into me, you can do anything, but no one and I mean **no one** hurts my nakama...!_

That's when it happened. What it was, Niri didn't know right then, but she knew something was going on. All of a sudden, her heart began to beat faster and faster, faster than anything she'd ever felt before. Everything around her seemed to slow down, not a whole lot, but just enough for her to get a good sight of the surrounding situations. Lovett was on a rampage, her rage fueled by Sora's canines digging into her, but with this new...thing happening inside her, Niri watched Lovett actually slow down, as if time was being altered or something.

To make things weirder, her heart not only kept on beating faster and faster and faster, but it actually got louder and louder each time. Also, she could feel something begin to course through her entire body. The pain in her shoulder had gone away, even as more blood oozed out of her wound, and now the only thing that Niri was feeling was...was...well, whatever the hell it was, it felt _good_!

"Hey...Lovett...,"

The BV member, who had recently just grabbed a hold of Sora's neck turned to look back at Niri, but just as she laid eyes on her...

_"NEKO PUNCHY!!!"_

Niri's fist shot through the air like a bullet and collided with Lovett's nose, not only breaking said nose, but sending her flying a few good feet before she hit the forest ground. Injured and shaken, but still alive, Sora detached himself from the crazy cleaver woman and looked back at his nakama. Niri looked way different than she did before. Well, not that different in a very noticeable way, but Sora could tell that she was definitely not herself. Niri was breathing loudly, her face was red and small veins were pulsing through her flesh, and at first Sora thought it was because of the pain from her shoulder wound, but the fox soon realized that she was breathing that way for a whole other reason. What it was, exactly, he didn't know, but he did know that whatever was making her do that, it most likely helped her just get Lovett off him.

Said BV member tried to pick herself up, blood flowing freely from her now broken nose, _What the hell was** that**? What did that brat just do to me, at first she couldn't defend herself very well and all of a sudden she breaks my fucking nose!_

The sound of footsteps approaching made her look up to see Niri storming over to her, but before she could either defend herself or even get away to retrieve her bloodstained tool, Niri was already on top of her.

**_"Anchor Drop!"_** **(2)** Niri raised her foot as high as she could raise it, then just as quickly as she had punched Lovett, she brought her foot down hard on said enemy's head. While she wasn't as strong in kicks as a certain Straw Hat chef was, the power behind her foot was still strong enough to not only bring Lovett's face back down to the ground, but she actually went into the ground a little bit.

"Like that?!" Niri screamed as she raised her foot and brought it down again, "Huh?! You like that you fuckin' bitch?!"

Again, and again, and again, Niri repeated the kick until Lovett's entire head was more or less into the ground, bleeding from the repeated kicks and said woman was no longer moving. Her foot covered in blood, Niri staggered back, completely out of breath and her chest feeling like it was on fire. Slowly, her heart went from rapid-fire pumping to it's normal heart rate and she fell over onto her backside, looking at what she had just done to Lovett, who still wasn't moving.

_"I'M A'COMING GUYS!!"_ Pingu screamed at the top of his lungs as he entered the battlefield, looking like he was ready to tear someone a new one. He came to a complete stop when he saw Niri sitting in front of a motionless Lovett, panting for some reason while Sora slowly made his way to the former Marine. He looked at them all and a look came across his face, _"What'd I miss?"_

Still breathing heavily, Niri placed a hand over her heart, feeling it beat normally as if nothing had happened at all. She looked down at her chest, then she looked at her bloody foot, then she looked at the either knocked out or even dead Bloodless Vampire laying in front of her.

"What the hell...did I just do...?"

* * *

"YOU BASTARD! YOU FUCKIN' PLANT BASTARD, I'M GONNA RIP YOU APART!!!"

Devon went crazy, more crazy than he normally does, hacking and slashing at every vine he could reach. Once again, he had freed himself from the plant's vine impalation, earning another chunk of plant in his body, but right now he didn't care about any of that. His wife had been eaten by the giant plant and he wasn't going to stop until either the plant-creature was dead, or his wife was freed from the innards of said creature, or even both!

From a safe distance in the treeline, Lola and her crew watched as the Axe-Heads kept attacking the giant plant. The not-so-attractive (and I use that term VERY lightly) female pirate watched in amazement as the pirates continued to keep going even after being beaten and eaten so far already.

"Captain Lola...," Thin Risky tapped her arm, "You don't think these pirates could be-?"

"I don't know," Lola shook her head, "Right now, that's not important. What is important right now is that the outcome of this fight!"

The plant was seriously getting to the "VERY PISSED OFF PLANT" level of anger, it was getting harder to hurt and even harder to even get to. Devon was flung back hard by a group of vines, but was quickly caught in mid-air thanks to Chizuru's telekinetic ability. The psychic navigator gently lowered him to the ground and the remaining Axe-Heads, sore and bloody, looked at the foul plant.

"This is nuts!" Dusty panted, her ears drooping, "I'd go at it with my bigger moves, but I don't know if my body can handle those right now and I don't know if it'll even work!"

"Fire just seems to make it angrier," Chizuru added, rubbing her temples, "We can slice into it, but it won't cause that much damage and blunt force like Herman's punches won't do anything either...we really need to come up with a plan here,"

"Oh yeah, good idea except the last one who came up with a plan got eaten!" Dusty shouted, pointing at the plant, "Kirsty didn't even tell us the plan and she got eaten before she could tell us, let alone carry it out!"

Devon, already in a bad mood because of recent developlments in battle, started to turn to Dusty to scream his head off and even had a thought to throw her at the plant herself, but he stopped when he noticed something.

"Guys...look, the plant!"

The remaining Axe-Heads saw it too. The giant man-eater plant had stopped thrashing around and was now looking as though something was wrong with it.

"There's no way that we could've hurt it from all that, so it couldn't have been us...what the hell's wrong?"

Dusty shrugged, "Maybe it ate somebody that didn't agree with it?"

Everyone turned to her in shocked silence.

"Too soon?"

Before either one of them could tell her off, the plant let out a high-pitched scream, one so loud that every pirate in the area, Axe-Head and Rolling, had to cover their ears.

"WHAT'S GOING ON!?" Devon screamed.

Dusty fell to her knees, "MY EARS!"

Gritting his teeth, Herman looked back at the plant and watched as it began to thrash around again. Squinting, Herman could see something bulge from within the plant, as if something on the inside was...

_No way...!_ the Fish-Man thought just before a brief flash of bright light blinded him and everyone else. Seconds after the flash of light, a deafening BOOOOOM! was heard as the giant plant suddenly exploded into hundreds of tiny pieces. Everyone within the blast radius, even those taking refuge in the forest, were assaulted by plant chunks and disgusting goo. The shockwave of the explosion and the rain of chunks made most of the pirates fall over onto the ground.

"Oh...my...God...," Dusty sat up and looked herself over, seeing the goo drip off her upper body, "I think...I'm going...to be sick...,"

"You ain't the only one, kit...," Herman moaned as he pulled a plant chunk off of himself, "Nasty,"

As the Axe-Heads helped each other up and helped one another take the more disgusting parts off themselves, they heard something come from the plant's remains.

"Don't tell me that thing's still alive!" Dusty shook her head, flinging slime at her friends, "It's just not possible!"

"You're right about that, Kit, it's not possible," Chizuru smiled slowly, eyes locked onto the remains, "It's not the plant...,"

"Then what-?" Dusty stopped in mid-sentence when a familiar form slowly rose from the mess, covered in more chunks and slime then the rest of them combined, "KIRSTY!!!"

The White Dragon stumbled out of the remains of the plant bulb, covered head to toe in the same mess they were, her hair matted to her head with slime and a very annoyed look on her face. Her nakama ran over to see if she was okay, but before they could ask, she held up her hands.

"No one...say...a word. Not. One. Word,"

* * *

**_"Redeemer Rapid-Fire!"_ (3)** Tommy, having turned to his pistol, fanned the hammer quickly, letting fly everyone of his bullets. Todd was able to deflect a few of them, but the rest of them went straight into his body, practically knocking him flat on his ass against a tree. The bloodthirsty barber looked up at Tommy as blood dribbled down his front from his fresh gunshot wounds and grinned.

"What do you know, you actually have the guts to go that far in a fight, Mister Horn...you have changed since we last fought,"

Tommy, covered in numerous cuts and gashes himself, walked over to Todd and kicked away his razors before crouching down to eye level of the BV member, "Barker, let's get one thing straight. During my years as a bounty hunter, I was trained to use both lethal and non-lethal force when handling my targets. I only let you you and Lovett live because I needed your full bounties to keep me going, so I could find the ones I need to punish,"

"So because you found her, you're going to finish me off?"

"I'm awfully tempted to do it right now," Tommy brought up his pistol, "Believe it or not, I'm actually thinking about letting you leave this hellhole in exchange for information,"

"...what kind of information?"

"Oh, nothing much," Tommy shrugged as he loaded ammo into his gun, "I just want to know where my friends Axe and Azu are being held, I want to know why Kairi is here of all places, an island under the control of a Shichibukai and what she plans to do with them,"

"How do you know about Moria?"

"That doesn't matter. I just want to know where they are and what her plans are, and if you tell me, I'll let you escape,"

"...you really mean that, Horn?" the barber asked, "You were all about killing me before, why spare me if I tell you something?"

"Because it means your life isn't worthless, now tell me what you know!"

"Okay, okay!" Barker held up a hand, "Listen. I'm not sure exactly where she's keeping Axe, but she's given Azu to the doctor, Bathory. You find her, you'll find Azu and I'm sure that you'll find out more about where Axe is. As for her plans, all I know is that she wanted Axe and some girl called the White Dragon for a couple of trade-offs. I don't think she has anything planned for Azu except letting Bathory experiment on him or something!"

Tommy nodded, "Thank you, blood barber,"

"Can I go now?"

"Oh, of course! You can go," Tommy lifted his pistol and shoved the barrel into the mouth of his old enemy.

"Wha? Wai-!"

**BAM!**

The back of the barber's head blew open as Tommy's pistol round shot straight through his brains, skull and the tree bark behind him. Gray matter and blood dribbled down the bark as Tommy pulled his pistol out of the dead man's mouth and did his best to clean the blood off.

"You can go right to Hell," Tommy chuckled a little bit, "I told you before, Barker. When I put a slug through you, you'll never get up again. Now," he rose to his feet and holstered ihs gun, "Gotta find Zolaro and see if she's still kicking,"

* * *

**Kilnorc: Oh MAN, that was a long chapter. WHEW what a way to make a return to the arc! I hope you all enjoyed it, because I had a lot of fun writing it. Now, for some explanations, then the preview! The strange thing that sent Niri's heart racing like it did, and what made her move like she did, it's a reference to the movie WANTED, which is a fantastic movie, I highly suggest watching it. I wanted to give Niri a new thing to play with and develop besides a new toy, so I went with this idea.**

**(1) Dash'n'Slash** - Tommy runs at his enemy and with a swift swing of his rifle, he can use his huge, wide bayonet to cut into them. This move is capable of cleaving an enemy clean in half.

**(2) Anchor Drop - **A kick that raises the foot high into the air and slams it down on an enemie's head, slamming them to the ground, if not killling them. The drawback to this is if that it is performed at a bad angle or wrong in another way, it can break the ankle.

**(3) Redeemer Rapid-Fire **- An improved version of Redeemer Shot. Tommy fans out Redeemer's hammer, causing him to unleash a volley of bullets onto his target. This attack causes him to run out of bullets in mere moments, but is usually worth the inconvenience since it either take down a large number of people easily or kill a single person almost instantly.

**On the next chapter of Endless Nightmare...**

**Niri: First the heart thing, now that? What the hell's wrong with me?!**

**Kirsty: Oh stop being a big baby, you've had worse injuries than this!**

**Kairi: WHAT THE HELL!? WHO THE HELL ARE THESE BASTARDS?**

**Taeko: Take care of yourself, try not to get killed!**

**Hitting the Fan**

**Dusty: Guys...we have another problem!**

**Oh, and don't be surprised by the way I kill things in this particular arc, I said it was rated M for a VERY good reason.  
**


	18. Hitting the Fan

**Hitting the Fan**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece**

* * *

"Zolaro...oi, Zolaro, where are ya?"

Niri winced as she headed back to the campsite, hearing Tommy's calls as she made her way through the forest, "Tommy! I'm over here!"

"Where?"

"Follow my voice!"

Shortly enough, the two sharpshooters met up about halfway to the campsite, each one showing battle-wounds and a degree of exhaustion.

Tommy looked her over, "Geez...you look like you're half dead,"

"I feel half dead," Niri groaned, holding her arm as she started walking back again, "Where's your guy?"

"_All_ dead," Tommy cracked a grin, "Put a bullet through his brain. What happened to Lovett?"

Niri shrugged, "Well, she's either dead, in a deep coma or she's just lost half of her IQ," she pointed to her bloodied foot, "I broke her nose, kicked the shit outta her head...,"

"Damn...,"

"Hey, she deserved it!"

Tommy eyed her shoulder wound, "Well, yeah, I guess she did after doing that to ya,"

"Huh?" Niri followed his gaze, "Oh, that. No, I wailed on her for hurting Sora," she pointed down to the weary Sky Fox, "We both got banged up pretty good,"

After reaching the campsite, the two gunners and the two animals took a seat to rest themselves from their battles. Tommy took a seat behind Niri and grabbed a first-aid kit he kept nearby, "Take your shirt off,"

"Excuse me?" Niri looked back at him, "Say what?"

Tommy shot her a look and held up the kit, "I need to treat that wound of yours or else you're either gonna bleed to death or your gonna get an infection,"

"Well, my heart was going crazier than normal after I got slashed by that bitch, so if I haven't died of bloodloss, I guess there's a chance of death by infection," Niri sighed and slowly removed her bloody shirt, "Be gentle...,"

"As gentle as I can be," Tommy assured her, grabbing a thick roll of bandages and other supplies, "Looks like we're going to have to stitch all that together before it can heal properly,"

"Sounds like something Kirsty would tell me,"

"She a friend of yours?"

"Yeah, she's our doctor," Niri nodded as Tommy began his work, "You might know her better as The White Dragon on her bounty poster,"

Tommy paused momentarily, "...White Dragon?"

Niri nodded, "Yeah...what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just think that's an odd nickname,"

"Well, what's _yours_?"

"Gun Warrior,"

"..."

"Shut up, I like it,"

While Tommy did his best to patch Niri up, Pingu waddled over to Sora.

_"You okay, Blue?"_

The Sky Fox nodded,_ "Yeah, I'm alright...just sore,"_

_"Sore, but be proud of it,"_ Pingu plopped down next to him, _"You protected Niri and I'm proud of you for that,"_

_"Gee, that's just why I saved her, to make you proud of me," _the fox muttered sarcastically, _"I can die happy,"_

Pingu laughed and slapped him hard, making the fox yelp a little, _"Oops, sorry, Blue!"_

Sora just shot a glare at him.

Back with Tommy and Niri, the former Marine was somehow able to get through the patch-up job without much reaction to the pain.

Tommy noticed this as he pulled a thread, "You seem to have a decent tolerance for pain, Zolaro. Impressive,"

"Thanks," Niri murmured, "You're good at this. Where'd you learn how to do it?"

"Oh, I picked it up through the past five years. While a part of Axe's crew, I learned a fair amount of first aid and medical skills from Shruta, and I gotta tell you, that really came in handy over the years. I can't tell you how many times those skills saved my life, especially after the mutiny," Tommy clicked his tongue, "Odd that I learned how to patch people up and one of the ones I am patching up is a new nakama to my old captain. It's like...ironic or cosmic, in a sense if you think about it,"

Niri grinned, _Whatever..._

"So, how do you get through the pain? From your battles and injuries, I mean?"

Niri was silent for a moment, "I always feel the pain, and I always show that I do, but for some reason, it doesn't last very long. Or at least, it doesn't last long in _recent_ battles. It hurt like hell when she hacked me, but I have the feeling that it should've hurt a helluva lot more than it did,"

"Hmm," Tommy cleaned some of the blood away, "Maybe your mind's blocking out some of the pain,"

"That could explain it. Especially here of all places,"

"What do you mean?" Tommy asked, pausing in his work, "Here of all places?"

"...Kairi ruined my life three years ago and when I found out that she was a part of Axe's crew and that she had mutinied against him, I felt so angry towards her, I made Axe promise me that he'd let me kill her!" she clenched a fist, "Now, with me actually on the same island as her...I guess that if my mind is blocking out the rest of the pain, it's because of what I want to do. I want to help Axe and Azu, and I want to...to...,"

"To still kill her, even after I told you what I know?"

Niri fell silent.

"Don't worry about it. You'll know how to handle that when the time comes," Tommy said quietly as he continued, "If you don't mind me asking, how'd you beat Lovett, anyway? I mean, I know you said you kicked her head in and stuff, but when I last saw you, you weren't even able to land a punch on her?"

"I...I don't know, really," Niri shook her head slowly, "It's odd, but something happened to me when I was fighting her, after she hacked into me,"

"Oh? What happened?"

"Hell if I know," Niri shrugged (much to Tommy's annoyance), "My heart started to beat really, really, really fast and it hurt, but it also felt great at the same time. I don't know what was happening to me, but when I socked Lovett in the face, I was a lot faster than I was before! I was able to kick the shit out of her before she could even get back up off the ground," she began to chew her thumbnail, "It could have been adrenaline, but...," she trailed off and shook her head, "Nah, it couldn't be, I've had adrenaline before, it was never like that,"

Tommy stopped his work.

Niri noticed the sudden stop, "You okay?"

"Yeah...yeah, I am, just making sure I didn't do a bad job," Tommy murmured a little quick, grabbing the roll of bandages, "Okay, I'm gonna wrap this around, but I want ya to know that I'm not gonna cop a feel, Zolaro. Despite my outward appearance, I'm actually a gentleman,"

"Heh...thanks for the warning," Niri held her arms up and outward so she could give Tommy the area he needed to bandage her properly, "If you don't mind, while I'm waiting, can I see your gun? The pistol, I mean?"

"Hm? Oh sure, have at it," Tommy quickly pulled out his weapon,_ Redeemer_, and handed it to her, "Be careful with it, okay?"

"Of course, of course," Niri waved him off and looked at the firearm, "This is a nice peacemaker, Horn. Craftsmanship is really evident in this," she looked at the curved blade on the handle, "This part get much action?"

"More than you'd think," Tommy gave a nod as he wrapped the bandages around, "When I'm out or low an ammo, or when I'm close enough, I sometimes use that blade to deal a fair amount of damage. I usually use that to slit someone's throat, but it's handy in other ways,"

Niri looked over the pistol closely as Tommy continued his bandaging. As she inspected the weapon, something in the back of her mind clicked.

_Something's wrong..._ she lifted her head and looked around slowly, _Someone's near, and they're **not** friendly!_

"Tommy, stop what you're doing for a minute," she whispered, "Please, just stop!"

Tommy raised an eyebrow and leaned over to look at her in the eyes, "Too tight?"

"No, it's fine," Niri slowly rose to her feet, gripping the bounty hunter's pistol, "Be quiet, just for a second,"

"Niri-?"

"Shh!" the former Marine gripped the small firearm, her eyes scanning the surrounding area, "Right ahead of us!"

Tommy frowned and looked ahead, but didn't see anything but trees and fog.

_**Can't** be anything ahead,_ he glanced back at Niri, _I'm a hunter, I know how to tell when things are coming and going, so if anything were here, I'd know it by know! But then again, both Todd and Lovett were able to sneak up on us somehow...but even Niri couldn't sense them, so she's gotta be imagining it._

Niri raised _Redeemer_ and aimed at the furthest tree that sat directly in front of them, "There...behind it,"

"Niri, even if there was something there, it's hard to get anything through a tree. Hell, I've tried that and even on my best days I manage to scare someone!"

"I'm not gonna go through the tree, I'm gonna go around it,"

Tommy frowned, "Say what?"

"Don't ask, even I don't know myself, but something's telling me that I can shoot around the tree," Niri lowered _Redeemer_ a little, "Just watch...,"

Before Tommy could ask exactly what she meant by that, Niri brought the gun back up, but this time, she moved it upward at an angle and before she actually had it level, she fired off a shot. It was strange, but Niri could swear she could actually see the bullet fly through the air in slow-motion, much like how Lovett moved around slowly when her heart began racing like crazy. She could not only see the bullet, but she thought she could see a near invisible line in the air in which the bullet followed.

The bullet's flight path.

Said bullet followed the flight path exactly and a little more than halfway to the tree, the bullet, which had been going straight to the tree, seemed to actually spin off the straight line of sight and move off to the side. The bullet deftly flew around the tree and then moved back into the straight line it had before! A muffled **THOK!** was heard, followed by the sound of a sack of potatoes hitting the ground was heard.

Grinning, Niri lowered the gun, "May want to go check, Tommy,"

The bounty hunter looked at her, then at the tree, then at her again before breaking out into a run to the very tree ahead of them. When he reached it, he expected to see a bullet hole in the tree bark, but he couldn't find it. He couldn't find a single mark on the front of the tree. Confused, Tommy began to check the sides to see if they had been nicked by it, but when he did, he saw something that stunned him. There, laying on the ground, dead for sure this time with a bullet hole in one of her eye sockets, was a battered and very bloody Lovett.

"She must've been alive after all and came back to try again,"

Tommy jumped when Niri's voice crept into his ear. Looking to the side, he saw Niri standing there, looking down at the dead BV member. Calmly, Niri handed_ Redeemer_ back over to Tommy and leaned against the tree.

"How...how did you-?"

"I don't know, Tommy," Niri shook her head, gripping her arms tightly, a tone of fear in her voice, "First the heart rate thing, now that?" she nodded to Lovett's corpse, "What the hell is wrong with me?!"

Tommy shook his head, "I'm not sure but-,"

"This is just friggin' insane!" Niri snapped, the fear becoming more and more present, "I'm fighting for my life and my heart begans to pound, my chest feels like it's going to explode, and the next thing I know, I'm able to shoot an evil bitch pirate and kill her even though she's hiding behind a tree!" she glanced at her new ally, "There's something wrong with me, Tommy...,"

* * *

"Okay, hold still. On the count of three, I'm going to pull it out, alright?"

"Okay. One...two...thr-OOOOW! GOD DAMMIT!"

"Oh, stop being such a big baby," Kirsty looked at the piece of vine that she had just pulled out of Devon's torso, then looked at the hole in said torso, "You've had worse injuries than this!"

The Risky Brothers stared as she proceeded to pull another vine bit out of her husband's body. The two Rolling Pirates gawked at them, then looked at each other.

"He's...had worse injuries than_ that_?!"

"He can't be human!"

"I don't think any of them are!"

Bleeding, Devon grabbed _Water Moon_ and lay back as the strange, unexplainable but very beneficial effects of the sword began to happen. The holes in his body began to slowly close up, healing the nittoryu user from the battle with the giant plant. That made the Risky's even more freaked out.

"HE'S NOT HUMAN AT ALL!!!"

Meanwhile, Dusty was peeling off her slime-covered outfit, a very disgusted look on her face, "Man, I really liked this outfit too!" she threw her top to the ground, "What I wouldn't give for a shower and a fresh change of clothes,"

Lola walked over to her, "I don't know about fresh change of clothes, but we've made ourselves a makeshift shower not too far from here,"

"Whoa, really?!"

The large captain nodded, "We've been here for a long time, we may not be able to leave without our shadows and we may not be able to fight the bastard that took 'em, but we can at least have a small luxury or two that's not just food,"

"How in the world did you guys make a shower in the forest?" Chizuru asked, trying her best to wipe the slime from her hair, "Wouldn't the people in the mansion be a problem?"

Lola grinned, "Like I said, we've been here a long time. There are some things we've learned...like how to avoid those bastards,"

"If that is the case, I am going to take a shower first!"

The three females turned to see Kirsty standing there, arms folded across her chest.

Dusty put her hands on her hips, "Why you first? We're all covered in plant guts!"

"Yes...," Kirsty nodded and slowly approached the miko, "However, I was eaten by the plant, I killed the plant, and I actually climbed out of the plant!"

Chizuru nodded, "She's got a point there, kit," she patted Dusty on the shoulder, "Sorry, but Kirsty's earned the right to call first dibs on a shower,"

"Aw...," Dusty's ears drooped and the fox glanced at Devon, "I suppose you want in after her, huh?"

Devon scoffed as he sheathed _Water Moon_, "Me? Naw, I ain't like you girls. I can actually stay covered in stuff and not worry about smell for more than five minutes,"

"Uh huh...," Dusty looked at Kirsty, "Nice choice for a man you got there, Kirst,"

"Oi oi...,"

* * *

When the Blood Countess imagined this time for bloodshed, she imagined Axe's nakama falling every few seconds and her former captain in pain over it. What she didn't expect, was the news of a good number of her lycanthrope forces being killed off by another member of the old crew, and the news of three significant members of the Bloodless Vampires being wiped out by the new Axe-Heads. Needless to say, she didn't take the news very well.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" she brought her fists down hard, smashing a rather large table into pieces, "WHO THE HELL _ARE_ THESE BASTARDS?!"

Nearby zombies and lower level members of her crew backed away, startled by the Blood Countess' outburst.

Toby, who was standing nearby, looked up at the ceiling, hands behind his head, "It seems that our old friend Axe has gotten himself quite a crew. Funny, we were expecting a total slaughter, but instead they not only putting up a good fight, but they actually kill three of our more higher up members, including your beloved pet plant Anubis,"

Kairi growled and shot a deathglare at him, but Toby didn't seem to be scared or even notice the glare.

"It could be worse though," the werewolf swordsman thought aloud, "Could have had a lot more casualties...Hell, we could've even lost the prisoners we have,"

The Blood Countess thought it over a bit, nodded and ran a hand through her dark hair, "That's true, I suppose. Todd and Lovett were just two people and we can always get another plant like Anubis,"

"...and I can always spread the wolf's curse around," Toby added, "So you see, Captain, there's no real damage here,"

-Meanwhile...-

"Oh man, I am so dead! She is going to kill me...!"

Tobias stood in the room where he and Austin had just been having a slightly one-sided chat, holding a pan and broom in his hands. He had returned to the room to clean up the shards of the teacup the mute cabin boy of the Axe-Heads had smashed, but when he got there, Austin was no where to be seen! The ropes binding him were in pieces on the floor and the chain that anchored him were unlocked and toss to the side.

"Okay, okay, okay," Tobias grabbed his head, trying to think, "He couldn't have gotten far, I wasn't gone very long. Plus, this place is just crawling with our crew and Moria-sama's people...I gotta find him before they do, otherwise he's gonna get himself killed!"

With that, Tobias bolted out of the room and ran down the corridor, searching for the missing "guest".

Little did he know, however, that very guest was hiding underneath the bed in the same room. Austin poked his head out, looked around and when he saw the coast was clear and the door was open, eh crawled out from underneath the bed.

"Personally, I would've gone out the window, but that wasn't a bad tactic, kid,"

Austin looked back and watched as Taeko rolled out from under the bed as well, holding a large sack close to him.

The tattooed thief plopped himself on the bed, "I gotta admit kid, you got some brains in that head of yours. You'd probably make a good thief since you can't talk. All that extra noise would probably give you away,"

The cabin boy just rolled his eyes and moved towards the open door, scouted the corridor outside and gave a thumbs-up to the outlaw who helped him escape his chains. It wasn't looking good earlier, Austin's foot was still held by the chains and there was no way out without hurting himself, which would impede his escape considerably. He had just about given up hope of escaping before Tobias returned when Taeko poked his head into the door and found him there. Said thief was trying to find a place that had some decent loot to add to the collection he had already had when he saw the boy. Now, Austin couldn't be sure then, but he thought Taeko was actually being nice, despite his behavior on the ship earlier before they arrived.

"Just glad I was able to get you out of there, kid," Taeko reached into his large sack and rummaged through it, "I got something for you here, too. I know it's in here...ah, here we go!"

Taeko pulled out a sword, a jian-type by the look of it, and tossed it to the cabin boy. Austin quickly caught it, pulled it out of it's sheath and looked it over. The blade was beautiful, well-crafted and on the metal was a figure of a large snake-like creature near the hilt. The metal itself looked strange, because in just the right light, Austin could see different colors swirl around a little bit. The grip was made out of a fine, leathery material and the guard looked like the mouth of another serpent. The sheath had no markings or symbols itself, but it was well made and it was of a sturdy material that Austin wasn't familiar with.

"I found that in the vault of this place. It's called _Tiamat's Fang_ **(1)** and from the look of it, it's a great blade," Taeko explained as he slung the sack over his shoulder, "I figured I could sell it, but seeing you in trouble like this and with nothing to protect yourself with, I figured you could have it,"

_Wow...this guy's actually decent!_ Austin sheathed the blade,_ Not bad._

Taeko tilted his head, "You're kinda short kid...think you'll be able to handle it?"

Austin shot him a grin and nodded, _Oh hell yeah! I may use Dials more than anything, but after living with my big brother and being around swordsmen for so long, I know enough to hold my own using a sword.  
_

"I'll take that as a yes," Taeko sniffed and wiped his nose, "Look, I gotta get going, but you take care of yourself, try not to get killed!"

Before he could stop him, the thief was already out of the room and making his way to his next mark. Austin looked at his new blade one last time before heading out into the mansion.

_I gotta get the hell outta here! Where the hell's Macleod and the others?_

As Taeko made his way through the large building, he adjusted the sack on his shoulder.

"At least with that kid running loose and wreaking havoc, that should cause enough of a distraction for me to get the good stuff and find whoever has my shadow...,"

* * *

"Guys! GUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUYS!"

Devon, Chizuru and Herman turned to see Dusty running towards them in her animal form, a worried look in her eyes.

"What is it, kit?" the First Mate asked the miko, "We get more of those zombies or those freaks that belong to Kairi around?"

Dusty shook her head, "Guys...we have another problem!"

"Well, what the hell is it?"

"I-I thought I'd try to lighten the mood and play a prank on Kirsty while she was showering, so I went to where the Rolling Pirates had it put up, the best prank in mind, but when I got there...nothing!"

"Nothing?" Herman looked confused, "What do you mean nothing?"

"I mean nothing!" Dusty repeated, "No Kirsty, no water running, _nothing_! The only thing I saw there was Kirsty's towel!"

Devon frowned, "...what?"

"She's gone! Kirsty is gone! I called out to see where she was, but she didn't answer me, so I tried sniffing out her scent, you know in case she had to go to the bathroom and got lost on the way back or something...,"

"But you didn't find her scent?"

"No, I did! But I also picked up another scent!"

"What?"

"Another one?"

"What did it smell like?"

Dusty stuck out her tongue, looking ill, "It smelled _freaky_! I've never smelled anything like it! I mean, I smelled Kirsty's scent easy, but the other scent was all screwed up,"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean it was really screwed up! I smelled some elephant, some lion, some people, and other kinds of weird animals! It's like a frickin' zoo was in the area!" Dusty reverted to her human form, "If I didn't know any better...I'd say Kirsty got grabbed by a weird mutant that was born from a freaky animal orgy or something!"

Devon slapped himself in the face, "Not again...,"

* * *

**Kilnorc: Okay, that chapter's taken care of. Hope you enjoyed it, I had SOME difficulty with this, but I think I pulled it off.**

**(1) _Tiamat's Fang_ - **Ancient Jian sword. Not one of the well known grade swords, however Tiamat's Fang is just as powerful if properly honed. Tiamat, in ancient legend, is supposedly the mother of all serpents and dragons. This is also a little item cameo of sorts because I originally created a different version of Tiamat's Fang for my first novel that I'm working on. Name, while referencing a mythical beast, was actually created by my dear friend Shidyk D. Shade who writes a great series known as Legacy of the Assassin under the name Rayo Verrani.

**On the next chapter of Endless Nightmare...**

**Tommy: Easy, Niri, this is a friend of mine. Don't let his looks fool you, he's human.**

**Niri: He can get us in the mansion?**

**Kairi: That pervert actually came in handy...guess I can make those calls now.**

**Devon: What the hell-? Why are _you_ guys here?!**

**New Plans of Attack  
**

**???: Looks like we all got problems with the people on this island.**


	19. New Plans of Attack

**New Plans of Attack**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece**

* * *

_God, what the hell is going on with me?_ Niri placed her head against a tree, her eyes closed as she held onto her father's pistol, something she had found a few moments before, _This place is filled with fucked up kinds of people, my nakama are God knows where, not even sure if they're alive, and I'm going through God knows what! I've been able to sense things due to my training as a Marine and as a sharpshooter, but nothing on **that** level!_

"You okay, Zolaro?" Tommy asked, reloading the spent bullet into _Redeemer_, "You look pale. That wound of yours open up again?"

"No...," Niri reached up and felt the fresh bandages on the left side of her torso, "No, it's still closed. I'm just...feeling off, is all,"

"That's understandable, not many people go through shit like this," Tommy ran a hand through his hair and put his hat back on, "Hate to say this, but at least we know that we're doing better than Axe and Azu right now,"

Niri was silent.

Tommy sighed, "Niri, look, I'm-,"

**SNAP!**

The sound of a branch snapping into pieces made the two of them whirl around, weapons at the ready.

"Don't shoot, Tommy, don't shoot! It's me!"

"Who the hell-?" Niri shot a side glance at Tommy, "Horn...,"

"It's okay, Zolaro," Tommy holstered _Redeemer_ as a figure came out from the dark treeline, "He's okay. Remember that friend of mine I told you about? The one who helped me help you after you ran into those lycans? Well, this is him," he nodded to the figure, "Niri, meet my friend Hyde,"

When Niri saw "Hyde" she immediately brought her pistol up and aimed it directly at his head. Tommy sighed and rubbed his eyes, he knew this was coming, and he should've told her earlier, but certain things kept them busy. Now, Niri expected another man like Tommy, a rough and tough guy who had the body of a fighter...or at least, something that looked remotely normal in a human. She didn't expect Hyde to look anything like he did.

Hyde didn't look human, well he did in the most basic sense, but given his physical appearance, one would think he was one of those zombies from the mansion, just like Old Man Spoil from the Rolling Pirates. He wore a slightly ragged suit over a body of grayish skin with a raven-shaped bowtie around his neck and dark, crusty, mud covered boots on his feet. He had only one eye and that was in his left socket while his right socket showed nothing but darkness. Now, anyone would expect a man to have one eye in this era, but it was the color of his flesh and the fact that he had a bony arm. By bony, it mean that one of his arms was nothing but bone from the elbow down. If he was human, Niri couldn't help but wonder how in the hell he managed to be alive with a body like that...or even move around at all!

"What...the..._fuck_?" Niri looked the newcomer over, "He's a fuckin' zombie!"

Hyde sighed and shook his head, "I knew she'd say that," he turned to Tommy, "Thanks a lot, asshole,"

"Hey, I _was_ gonna tell her, but we ran into trouble,"

"Whatever. Look, I got some interesting information for you, Tommy," Hyde paused and saw that Niri was still aiming her gun at him, "Ya mind?"

Niri just held it there.

Tommy sighed and walked over to the former Marine, standing between her gun and Hyde, "Easy, Niri, this is a friend of mine. Despite his looks, he's human," he reached up and placed his hand on the barrel of her pistol, gently pointing it away, "Trust me,"

Niri's eyes moved from the freakish undead looking man to Tommy.

"Please, just trust me," Tommy said again, quieter this time, "He may look like an ugly undead sonofabitch, but he's good as they come,"

"I'm standing right behind you, dude...,"

Tommy cracked a grin, "Niri, believe it or not, his outward appearance is a good thing for the both of us,"

"H-How...?"

"Well, for one thing, because he looks like one of the walking dead, he's able to get into the mansion without suspicion," Tommy jerked a thumb to Hyde, who was looking pretty annoyed at the moment, "He's been my eyes and ears on Thriller Bark since the day I got here, ain't that right, Hyde?"

The zombie-esque man crossed his arms, "Yeah, yeah...you gotta stop making jokes about my looks or I'm gonna kick your ass, bounty hunter,"

"You wish, dead man,"

Niri gently pushed Tommy away and looked straight at Hyde, taking in every detail of his appearance before turning back to Tommy.

"He can get us into the mansion?" she asked slowly, "Really?"

Tommy clicked his tongue and looked away, "I said he's my eyes and ears inside Thriller Bark, Zolaro, I didn't say anything about sneaking us in,"

"Why not?"

"Well, for one thing, _he_ looks like one of the damned living dead that inhabit the island and we don't,"

"Hey, what did I _just_ say a few seconds ago, Horn?!"

Tommy waved him off, "The only way he can get us into the mansion is if we were his prisoners,"

Niri looked at the two of them for a few moments, then plopped down, cross-legged, her arms crossed and a thoughtful look in her eyes.

"Uhm...," Hyde pointed at Niri and turned to Tommy, "What exactly is she doing?"

"Thinking, Hyde, you know where you come up with stuff using your brain?"

Hyde shot him a deathglare, "I KNOW WHAT THINKING IS, ASSHOLE!"

* * *

"I can't believe it...,"

"He just went right in there and bagged her?!"

The weaker, less important members of the Bloodless Vampires gawked as Absalom walked out of their Captain's room. The bizarre looking animal man/pervert had come, saying he had a "gift of sorts" for the Blood Countess and when he entered, he was carrying someone under his arm. Kairi and the others watched as he carefully placed a currently unconscious Kirsty on the floor in front of her. Kairi couldn't help but smile at the job one of Moria's own did for her. Satisfied, she ordered him to leave. Everyone saw and thought that Absalom of all people wouldn't obey her, at least without trying to cop a feel on the knocked out Axe-Head, but they were stunned to see him turn and leave without so much as a perverted comment.

Kairi tilted her head to the side and nudged Kirsty with her boot, the smile still plastered on her face, "That pervert actually came in handy...I guess I can make those calls now," she snapped her fingers, "Everyone, leave me be, I have to make some very important calls to some very important people,"

"Yes, Captain!" they all shouted at once before filing out of the room.

"By the way," she reached down and picked Kirsty up by the back of her clothes, "Take her to Bathory, I'm leaving this one in her charge, just like the drunk,"

"But why? Why not just put her with-?"

"Because it's what I command!" Kairi cut her subordinate off, glaring very angrily at him, "Besides, Bathory would want to run some tests to see how far the supposed healing power of the White Dragon can go. Take her to Bathory, that is an order and if any of you question me again, I will rip your heads off and throw them to the wolves!"

That got the weaker ones to obey. Taking Kirsty with them, they left Kairi alone in her room, a victorious smile crossing her face again.

Well, not alone, per se...

Giggling a little, Kairi slowly walked over to her former Captain, who was still bound on the large cross nearby. She placed both hands on his face and gently moved his head upward so that he could see into her eyes.

"Your people may have taken out three of my stronger members and a handful of my wolves, but they're nothing to worry about. If they were really strong, they wouldn't have let their nakama be taken so easily. Axe," she shook her head and brushed some of his bangs of his eyes, "Dear, dear Axe...don't be angry with me. I know you are, but you shouldn't be. Know why?"

Axe just glared at her.

"The reason you shouldn't be angry with me is because you should be angry with yourself. You see, it was your choice to come back to the Grand Line, and it was your choice to recruit these weaklings to replace your faithful crew. Not only have you made them notorious and sought out, but you've sealed their fate by coming here in an attempt to fight me. So you see, it isn't my fault this happened...it's all your fault,"

Axe looked at her for a few moments, then he made a small grin, "Kairi...it maybe my fault that I brought them here, that I made them wanted, and that all this happened to them, but you're not innocent in this either. Know why?"

Kairi scoffed, "No, Axe, I don't. Why?"

"Come closer,"

_If he tries to even bite my ear off, I'll fuckin' neuter him and feed them to the others..._ Kairi stepped closer, allowing Axe to lean his head close enough to speak directly into her ear.

"I may be the one who did all this to them...but I couldn't have done it without you. After all, _you_ were the one who let me live when you mutinied against me three years ago, Kairi,"

Kairi's eyes twitched.

"For years, that night has been repeating itself in my head over and over again. At first, it would be the same, but over time, it changed. Not much, but it changed nonetheless. To this point, though I know that you mutinied against me is the truth, I'm not sure what else is real in that memory of mine. Sometimes, I see myself being thrown overboard into the ocean, left to drown. Other times, I cling onto a barrel, or I even get thrown into a dinghy to be left adrift with nothing but my axe and our old Jolly Roger with me. Hell, whichever one is true, I survived and you were the one who spared my life. If you hadn't, I wouldn't have found out the truth behind my heritage and I wouldn't have made such a mess with the World Government. So, in a way, I have you to thank for my success as a criminal, Kairi Lumina. All because you let me live that night...,"

Kairi pulled back and glared daggers at her former captain.

"Stings inside, don't it?" Axe cracked before getting a hard punch to the face from his former First Mate.

"You...you shut your fuckin' mouth," Kairi slugged him again, "You shut it!"

Axe chuckled and spat out the blood pooling in his mouth, "What's the matter, Holy Knight? Did I touch a nerve?"

She slugged him a third time. Pretty hard, this time.

"Sparing your life was a mistake, Axe, I'll be sure not to make that same mistake again,"

"Ha! Kairi, you already did! You spared me just to hand me over to some asshole! I guess it's true what they say, history repeats itself!"

The Blood Countess was getting ready to punch him so hard, she'd knock him out, but she was interrupted by her First Mate, who quickly entered the room.

"Captain, the kid the zombies brought in with the musician...,"

"What about him, Toby, I'm very busy right now!"

"He's gone, Captain. Tobias was watching him after you handed the brat over to him and he bailed!"

"...what?"

"I heard it from a Portrait Zombie. Apparently, Tobias was running through the mansion, muttering to himself about keeping it a secret, but I guess that's not possible now,"

Kairi clenched her fist and growled, "Thank you for telling me, Toby. You can leave now,"

"Shouldn't we-?"

"We don't need to worry about the boy," Kairi cut him off, "He's in a mansion filled with our forces and the undead minions of a Shichibukai. We don't have anything to worry about. He'll turn up,"

"But when he does...?"

"Take him again or hunt him down for sport, I don't care!" Kairi snapped, "It's just one little kid, he can't do anything!"

Axe chuckled, "I think they said the same thing about us once upon time, Lumina,"

Kairi glared at him again, then left the room, leaving her former captain hanging there again.

Alone, Axe was able to think about his nakama in peace.

_Guys, you did good, wiping out some of her people, but believe me, you have no idea what you're getting into by staying here! Get outta here, you have to or else you're gonna die!_

* * *

"Her towel is here...just that, so she must've been taken before she could undress and shower," Devon looked around the makeshift shower, holding his wife's unused towel, "This is just fucking great! I don't believe this! We go through all the trouble of getting her back from the World Government and now she gets abducted again...fuck!" he punched a nearby tree with such force, it split enough to make a portion of it fall over onto the ground.

_'Geez, kid...,'_ Thrymr murmured, _'Take it easy, okay? I know you're upset, but-,'_

"Shut the hell up, you damned ghost! What the hell do you know about love, you were killed before you could even kiss _your_ woman!"

Thrymr went silent.

"Oi! Demon King!"

Devon looked over his shoulder to see the Risky Brothers approaching him.

"There's some people back at the camp, they say they know you?"

_The hell...? Who the hell would be on this island, saying they know-?_ a thought crossed his mind, _Oh shit!_

Without saying a word to the Risky's, Devon turned into the direction of the camp and bolted, leaving the Brothers behind. When he arrived at the camp, he pulled out Geri and Freki, expecting a fight with what he assumed would be some of the Bloodless Vampires, but when he saw who it was, he came to a skidding halt, eyes wide.

"What the hell-?" Why are _you_ guys here?!"

Chizuru, who was sitting on a nearby log, smiled and pulled off her hat, "I know, they surprised us all, even me...and that's saying something,"

Standing in the middle of the camp was about half the members of a familiar pirate crew. They had crossed paths with the Axe-Heads at least twice: the first one was at Slayheim Prison and the second time was recently in Water 7.

"The nakama of Malchior D. Raco," Chizuru bowed her head to the guests, "Least we're not alone here anymore, Devon,"

"Y-Yeah, no kidding...," Devon sheathed his swords and walked to the newcomers, "What the hell are you guys doing here? Where's everyone else?"

Karai the White Lotus shook her head, "Long story on why we're here, but as for the second question, the other half of the team is off looking around the island,"

"Looking for what?"

"Not what, but who," Karai corrected him, "Malchior said he needed to take care of some business here and he went on ahead, but he hasn't come back in a long time, so we went out looking for him,"

Devon shot a glance at Chizuru, "Really now? Well, we can relate to _that_,"

"What do you mean?"

The Axe-Heads quickly told their old friends what they had seen since their arrival at Thriller Bark and what their current situation.

"Oh crap...," Cooper Harry, Malchior's navigator whistled, "That...that is not good at all,"

"No shit, Sherlock," Devon sighed, "I just hope your nakama are gonna be okay with those freaks running around out there,"

"Well, the lycanthropes shouldn't be too big of a problem," Jessie shrugged, "Believe it or not, we were kinda prepared for that,"

Devon stared at her, "Wha-? How the hell were you prepared for that?!"

"Because, they were at Whiskey Peak after we left," Chizuru answered for him, looking straight at Jessie, "They saw the handiwork Zoro and the Baroque Works did at Whiskey Peak and they most likely saw one of Toby's claw marks he left behind. Ayame recognized the work of a lycanthrope and warned them all about it. They probably bought some silver bullets or made 'em or something to counter the threat,"

Jessie stared at her, "How the hell...?"

"It's a long story," Devon rubbed his eyes, "One for another time. Right now, our nakama are missing or being held captive or separated from us. I don't know what everyone's goal on this island is," he looked at Malchior's crew, "But I know that it's a _really_ screwed up place to be, especially if we're not all at full strength,"

Karai tilted her head, bored a little, "You're suggesting we team up, aren't you, Demon King?"

"It's an idea, and right now, it's a very good one. What do you guys say?"

Harry put his hands behind his neck and looked at the giant mansion in the distance, "Looks like we all got problems with the people on this island,"

"So, is that a yes, because I'm guessing we don't have a whole lot of time,"

* * *

"AWRIGHT! I KNOW WHAT WE NEED TO DO!"

Pingu, Sora, Tommy and Hyde turned to Niri, who was now on her feet, a determined look and a small grin on her face.

The animals exchanged glances, they all knew _that_ look.

* * *

**Kilnorc: Awright, there's this chapter. Hope I did a good job. Hyde belongs to a fan of mine I met on dA, and of course Malchior's group belongs to Malchior the Draco. Speaking of my friend Mal, today is his birthday, so I dedicate this chapter to him and I wish him a Happy Birthday. Don't worry folks, I'm not getting too many people in here, believe me, I KNOW what I'm doing, mwahaha...**

**On the next chapter of Endless Nightmare..**

**Herman: Why exactly are you guys here on this hellhole of an island?**

**Niri: Shh! You guys hear that? That's gunfire!  
**

**Eva: I have my own reasons for being here, Blood Countess.  
**

**Kirsty; Where the hell...?! How'd I get _here_?**

**Never Trust A Cross  
**

**Kairi: Would someone care to tell me...how the hell this happened?!  
**


	20. Never Trust A Cross

**Never Trust a Cross**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece.**

* * *

With the combined forces of the remaining Axe-Heads and the half of Malchior's group, Devon thought they had the chance and the strength to launch a strike against Kairi to get their nakama back. He sat alone on a stump in the middle of the camp, looking at the unsheathed katana he now held in his hand. Looking at the beautiful blue blade, Devon thought of what lay ahead and what could happen on the path set before them.

_If we're to save the others, we're gonna have to beat them all. However..._

-Flashback-

_Suddenly, the wolfman leapt at the large group, headed straight for Niri. Acting quickly, Devon got in between the wolf and his nakama and brought up both blades, not only stopping the beastman in mid-journey, but kept his claws a safe distance from him. However, Toby still had some strength and speed in him and he made Devon slide back a little bit as the blades and claws crossed._

_"EVERYONE!" he turned back to the crew, "GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE!" he screamed, "GO ON, GET OUT OF HERE, NOW!"_

-End Flashback-

_I'm stronger than I was years back when I began to use a sword, and I'm even strong enough to fight the World Government as well as enemies of the New World, but..._ Devon took a deep breath, _There's something about that wolf bastard. He was able to push me back and I was barely able to... he sighed, This is going to be harder than I thought. I think it's gonna take all our strength and power to survive this. Kinda sad when you think about it._

_'No matter how many enemies you face, no matter how strong they may seem, there's **always** a way to beat them,'_

Devon shook his head as Thrymr's voice entered his mind, _If you have a suggestion, I'd **love** to hear it!_

_'...'_

_Knew it! _Devon sat there, staring at his sword for a moment or two before sighing, Sorry about that. Sorry about earlier, too.

_'Don't be. I understand that you love that girl, I can relate. You got nothing to apologize for,'_

While Devon was busy mentally conversing with his old companion, Herman was speaking with the group of Malchior's crew that came across their camp.

"So, tell me," the Fish-Man slowly sat down cross-legged, "Why exactly are you guys here on this hellhole of an island?"

Jessie sighed, "Long story, Red, but short version is that our idiot of a captain said something about taking care of 'family business', then first chance he had," she snapped her fingers, "He took off,"

_Sounds a lot like what happened with Axe... _the lobster-man thought to himself, "Why did you all split up instead of staying together?"

"We thought we could cover more ground this way," Jessie answered after a few moments of silence, "In hindsight, that _may_ have been a bad idea,"

"Yeah, no shit,"

Jessie shot a glare at the red Fish-Man.

"Uhm...sorry,"

In another part of the camp, Dusty was gathering her gear when she noticed something was missing. She poked her out of her tent, "Hey, anyone see the big bag of salt we brought with us...?"

* * *

"Hey, Zolaro, you mind telling us what the plan is here?"

Hyde and Tommy both watched as Niri went around the campsite, picking up her guns from their resting places as well as her ammunition, strapping them to her body once again. Niri smiled and patted her weapons, feeling comfortable that they were back on her person again.

"Zolaro...yoohoo...?"

"Oh, sorry!" Niri spun around and faced the two others, pointing to the mansion, "We're going in, boys. The three of us are gonna go in there, we're gonna find my nakama and we're gonna kick ass!"

"Pfft, good luck with that,"

Niri shot a glance at Hyde, "There a problem?"

The zombie-esque man shrugged, "No, no, not at all...unless you want to go up against a horde of zombies, a large force of werewolves and psychopaths before you can even reach them,"

"You know? I do," Niri walked over to Hyde and grabbed him by the shirt, pulling him towards her, "I do wanna do that, ya know why?"

Hyde looked down at her, then looked at Tommy, who looked away, scratching the back of his head.

"I'll tell you why. I wanna go in there because my nakama, my family is in there. They're in pain, they're suffering, and not to mention that bitch who did it ruined my life!" Niri tightened her grip on Hyde's clothing, "Kairi has done so much since she betrayed Axe, it doesn't take a genius to know that. She has caused Axe, myself, and who knows how many others pain like the ones we feel?!"

"So...you're going in there for revenge?" Hyde asked slowly, feeling more and more nervous with each passing second.

"I'm going in there to save my family and to give Kairi the punishment she deserves," Niri released Hyde and began walking towards the mansion, leaving the others behind in her dust, "Either pack up or shut up, gentlemen, I'm not gonna waste anymore time here,"

Hyde straightened himself and turned to Tommy, "Your friend has her for a friend?!"

"I heard that!" Niri shouted, still walking ahead, "Now c'mon or...," she came to a halt and immediately raised her hands to her ears.

Tommy noticed her actions, "What's wrong, Niri?"

"Shh...," Niri closed her eyes, "Just shhh,"

Hyde leaned over to Tommy, "She tells us to get moving and she stops after just a few feet?"

Tommy just glanced at him, then looked back at Niri, "What do you hear, Niri?"

"SHHH!" Niri said a third time, a little irritated this time, "You guys hear that? It's gunfire!"

"I don't hear anyth-,"

"C'mon, this way!" Niri opened her eyes and suddenly took off running into the forest, "Hurry!"

"Niri, wait!"

"Hold up, Tommy!"

* * *

"Well, after that little chat we had, I finally managed to calm myself down long enough to make those calls," Kairi said loudly as she and Toby entered her room in the mansion, "For men who are wanting to have people like you and your nakama, they sure are too busy to get them themselves...,"

Axe just stared ahead of him, "If they weren't, they wouldn't have gotten you to do their dirty work for them, Kairi. You're making a big mistake, I hope you realize that,"

"Here it comes," Kairi sighed and turned to him, hands on her hips, "I know what you're going to say, Axe. You're going to say 'You're going to be really sorry, because when I get out of here, I'm going to kick your blood-sucking ass from here to the Red Line!'...spare me," she shook her head, "I grew tired of you talking meaningless crap shortly after you lost to me earlier,"

"That's not what I'm talking about, even though that's true, that's not what I'm talking about!" Axe turned to her, "You're doing this to get something out of both Black Crow and Stein Madro, aren't you?"

"Oh, _brilliant_ deduction!"

"Whatever you hope of getting from them, Kairi, it's not going to happen! Those two men are the type of people who use people weaker than them and when they're done with their services...," he trailed off for a bit, "Well, I don't exactly know what they'll do personally when you complete your job, but it's not going to be pretty," he glanced at the lycanthrope in the room, "Are you just going to stand there and let her make this mistake, Toby?!"

The werewolf sat down on a nearby chair, scratching his head, "I do what I can for her,"

"You're just trying to scare me, because you think that if it works, I'm going to let you and your nakama go," Kairi walked up to Axe, a smug look on her face, "Forget it, my former captain, that's not going to happen. When I hand you over, I am not only going to get into the good graces of some of the strongest men in the world, but I am going to be ready,"

"Ready for what?"

"Ready to enter the New World!" Kairi smiled widely, "They say that only the strongest people in this part of the Grand Line could cross over to the New World and I have proven that I am strong enough! I have a large crew filled with strong subordinates, I have kicked your ass, again, and I have made myself a decent reputation, if I do say so myself,"

Axe shook his head, "You may have a decent bounty, but let me tell you something. Those only reflect the threat level you give off to the World Government, they don't always represent strength. Nico Robin got her bounty of 79,000,000 Beli when she was just eight years old! She was just an innocent kid and she got that much. Secondly, the whole 'large crew' thing? In case you happened to have forgotten, I tried my hand at that after getting a handful of pretty strong people. I thought I was gonna be great with a big ass crew like that, but in the end, I got cocky and was turned on by the whole crew! Every single one of them save for Tommy fought against me, so I know what's a good idea and what's not,"

Kairi let out a short laugh, "Oh man, this is funny as hell. Is that what you've been telling yourself, Axe? Is that what's been going through your head the past three years?!"

"...what do you mean?"

The Blood Countess chuckled and crossed her arms, obviously enjoying this, "It wasn't the entire crew. There were a few others who fought against me and my followers,"

Axe was silent.

"Oh yes, believe it or not, you had more than one friend that night-,"

"Better than having no friends...,"

"Don't interrupt, that's rude," Kairi snapped at him, "As I was saying, Tommy wasn't the only one fighting. On another part of the ship, the others were fighting too,"

"Others? You mean...?"

"If I knew any better, I'd say that the other people who made a name with you in those years," a new, yet familiar voice reached Axe's ears.

The three pirates turned to see a young woman standing at the side of the room, a somewhat bored expression on her face. She wore dark clothing: black pants that ended before her ankles and a shirt that looked almost blood red. Her eyes were cold and a dark color, but what Axe couldn't see from his current position. What he could see however, was her violet (or was it dark pink?) hair tied up into what looked like two pigtails of sorts.

Toby immediately went on the defensive, drawing his sword and stepping in front of Kairi, growling.

"Oh, calm down, furball," the woman waved him off, "If I wanted you dead, I would've done it already five times over...,"

Kairi looked at the woman for a long moment, then stepped forward, ignoring Toby's protective gesture, "Who are you? What are you doing in here? More importantly, how did you get in here?"

The woman chuckled, "I move around easily. My name is Eva and I have more own reasons for being here, Blood Countess," she quickly glanced at Axe.

"What's your last name, Eva?" Toby barked, "Answer me quickly and you may get to-,"

"It's _Thade_," Eva cut him off, apparently not intimidated by Toby's threats, "Eva Thade. Don't worry about introductions, I know all about who you are," she smiled a little bit, "You know, if you were rookies, I'd say it's quite impressive what you've done up until now, but since you've been on the seas for a good while, I can't say that. I will say that you've had an impressive career. Going from mere hunters for treasure to killers who hands are soaked with at least three coats of blood,"

Again, she cast a glance at Axe.

That look threw him off, _Is she just talking to them, or is she talking about me, too?_

"Well, Miss Thade," Kairi pulled out her rapier and pointed it straight at the newcomer, "You should give me a reason not to kill you right now,"

Eva chuckled again, "Any reason? Well, okay, let's see...how about this for a reason? I know that you are wanting some connections in this screwed up world of ours, and I know that you've already done a job for a Revolutionary and a cold-blooded murderer of a pirate,"

"What's your point?" Toby snapped, gripping his sword tighter.

"Down, puppy," Eva shot a glare at him, "My point is, I have my own kind of connection, possibly the best in the world. I suppose that's a matter of opinion though, but that's not the point itself. I have connections to a very powerful man, one who can help those who get into his good graces,"

"Heh," Kairi scoffed, "Why should I believe you?"

"Well, you don't have to believe me, but if you don't and attempt to kill me, or do some other kind of mistake like that, I'll guarantee that you won't be around for very much longer to regret it,"

"Is that a threat?!"

"It's advice," Eva corrected as she calmly walked to the two traitors, "Now, I'm not here to stir up trouble. I'm here as an observer and nothing more. I know what you plan to do to the this one's nakama," she pointed to Axe, "Don't worry, I'm not going to interfere, you can have your little 'Nakama War' or whatever you want to call it. I'm just going to sit back, enjoy the show and when the time comes, I'll tell you anything you want to know. Now," she clapped, her calm smile on her face, "What do you say? Friends for now?"

Before she could answer, one of Moria's zombies burst into the room.

"Lady Kairi, you need to come with me right now!"

Dammit! Kairi sighed in frustration and headed for the door, "Come on, Toby!"

"Right behind you, Captain,"

The two of them left the room, leaving Eva and Axe alone in the room.

Axe looked at the woman for a long time, "...are you going to help them?"

Eva cocked an eyebrow, "Who, me? No, I said I wouldn't interfere with this war of yours,"

"So I guess that means there's no chance of you helping me get down from here, is there?"

The newcomer wagged a finger and took a seat, making herself at home.

"Who the hell _are_ you?"

"I told them already,"

"A name doesn't always mean who one is," Axe said slowly, "A name can be powerful, but the one who bears that name is the only one who can be more powerful than the name,"

"Kind of poetic. You come up with it yourself?"

"To come to an island filled with freaks like this, like them, and to make it inside without being detected...you're not a normal person,"

"Most would consider that an insult,"

"What I mean is, you're strong. You'd have to be pretty strong to have the nerve to waltz in here like you did and chat up Kairi like she was an old friend or something...either that, or stupid and suicidal,"

Eva looked at him, then looked up at the ceiling, "You're lucky you're special, otherwise I'd take your head off,"

"Yeah, I'd love to see you try!"

* * *

"Ugh...oh crap, what the hell ran me down?"

Eliza looked over her shoulder to see Kirsty stirring from her unconscious sleep. The Axe-Head doctor was strapped tightly down to the table, thick straps holding her limbs, torso and even her head down.

Was hoping she'd come around, I wanted her to be conscious for the tests... Eliza turned around and stood directly above the captured Axe-Head, "Hi there, sleepyhead," she said in a sickly sweet tone, "Have a nice nap?"

"Wha...?" Kirsty blinked, trying to overcome her disorientation, "What happened?"

"You can thank our resident pervert," Eliza smiled and leaned forward so far her face was inches away from Kirsty's, "Are you ready to begin?"

"B-Begin?" Kirsty looked around to find herself in the mansion again, she could tell by the architecture of the room and judging from the instruments and other things in the room, she could tell that she was in a laboratory of sorts, "Where the hell...?! How'd I get _here_?"

"_Again_, thank the resident pervert," Eliza patted her cheek, "Now, let's get down to business. I'm glad your fully awake because I want you to be conscious and receptive of every one of my tests on you,"

"Tests?" Kirsty looked up at her captor, "What kind of tests?!"

Eliza shrugged, "Oh, nothing much really. I'm going to take some samples from you, going to see how much pain you can take and one thing I'm very much looking forward to is how far that healing power of your Devil Fruit goes,"

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"

"Hm, maybe I should give you something to relax your vocal cords, it'll save my ears a lot of grief...?"

* * *

"What...,"

"She's pissed, run!"

"...the...,"

"Duck and cover!"

"...FUCK!?" Kairi's blood boiled as she watched dozens upon dozens of corpses were piled up into numerous mounds by the zombies inhabiting Thriller Bark. The corpses were difficult to recognize, but she and Toby were able to see that the multiple corpses were that of their own crew, and each one of them were missing their heads! Each one of them had been cleanly severed from the rest of their bodies, blood staining the stumps of their necks and even some of their torsos.

The Blood Countess clenched her fists tightly, "What...is...the casualty count?"

Toby looked at the bodies as the flow of corpses came to a slow stop, "It's a rough estimate, but it looks like the rest of our forces that were left back on the ship," he turned to his captain, "With the losses we've suffered from Tommy against my wolves, our numbers have gone down seriously. Not counting us and the others here in the mansion, there's not that many of us left alive,"

Kairi stared at the body count in front of her, her fists clenching so tightly, her nails dug into her hands, making her palms bleed. Eye twitching, she slowly turned to the zombies that brought the bodies in, "Would someone care to tell me...how the _hell_ this happened?!"

While the living dead couldn't provide the Blood Countess with a suitable answer, therefore incurring her wrath, Toby was silent as he looked at the headless corpses.

_So, that's where the scent of blood came from..._ he reached for his sword and tapped the handle idly, _Little Miss Eva had a faint trace of it on her. I thought it came from Kairi from earlier, but it turns out that that woman has had some fun with our men. I wonder if this could actually play to my advantage?_ he looked over his shoulder, to his captain, _I gotta be very careful about how to approach this!_

* * *

_We got zombies, we got Kairi and her twisted freak show and now we might have a new player in the game..._ Axe looked at Eva silently, _If the others are going to come for us, then they're going to have a big battle ahead of them. I just hope you guys make it through...especially you, Niri! I know you want revenge for what Kairi did to you in the past, but you gotta be careful otherwise you'll get yourself killed before you can even get close to her! I can't stand the thought of losing you...not like I lost Kairi! Please, be safe!_

Eva noticed him staring at her, "What? You got something to say?"

"...no, nothing,"

* * *

Niri darted through the forest of Thriller Bark, Hyde and Tommy closing in behind her and her animal friends at her side. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see shadowy movement in the forest around her.

_Probably more of those bastards that work for Kairi or for the guy who runs this place..._ she focused her sights on the source of the gunfire ahead, _...don't worry, Axe, I'm coming for you! You protected me when we were younger, it's about time I come to save your ass. I swear, I'm gonna come and save you. No way in Hell am I gonna let Kairi have her way and win this, not a chance! Love ya too much to let that happen._

Seconds later, she realized what she had just thought and nearly tripped over herself.

* * *

"Alright...they want to play hardball, fine I'll play hardball with them!"

Kairi snatched a Den Den Mushi from one of the zombies and pulled the mouthpiece off the snail's back,** "ATTENTION! ALL SURVIVING MEMBERS OF THE BLOODLESS VAMPIRES, THIS IS YOUR CAPTAIN SPEAKING. CHANGE IN PLANS! I ORIGINALLY PLANNED ON HAVING YOU ALL TOY WITH THE REMNANTS OF AXE'S CREW, BUT AFTER WHAT WE'VE LOST, I AM CHANGING THE GAME PLAN. THOSE WE HAVE NOT CAPTURED, THE ONES THAT ARE STILL OUT THERE, PLANNING A RESCUE MISSION OF THEIR NAKAMA, THEY ARE FREE GAME! I REPEAT, THEY ARE FREE GAME! IF YOU SEE ANY OF THE AXE-HEAD PIRATES, OR ANY OF THEIR ALLIES, DO NOT HESITATE TO KILL THEM! IF THEY WANT A WAR WITH US, THEN THEY HAVE ONE!"** she slammed the mouthpiece down, making the snail whimper in pain.

"No one fucks with me and gets away with it..._no one_! TOBY!"

Her First Mate came to her side, "Yes?"

"Tell the others that it's time for them to have some fun...,"

* * *

Jinko and Isaac, having heard the announcement from a Den Den Mushi they managed to pick up from a couple of defeated BV members that Jinko had put down, stared at each other.

"_That_ doesn't sound good...,"

* * *

**Kilnorc: Oh crap. It seems that things have seriously gone downhill! It also seems that things have finally come to a head, Kairi has decided to slaughter the rest of Axe's crew instead of playing a sick game with them. Let's just hope that the others are ready for this battle...it could be their last!**

**On the next chapter of Endless Nightmare...**

**Isaac: Can't believe we split up...! I have to find those guys before all Hell breaks loose!  
**

**Chizuru: Knowing her, she's doing fine and probably heading to the mansion as well.**

**Toby: I don't know what you're doing here, Miss Thade, but just stay out of the way, understand?**

**Devon: HEY YOU ASSHOLES!!! YOU READY FOR ROUND TWO!!!**

**Ready to Die**

**Kairi: Kill them...kill them all!  
**


	21. Ready to Die

**Ready to Die**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece.**

* * *

"This is insane! I mean, I've been in crazy situations before, but this is just insane!" Isaac carefully peeked around the corner, trying to be as quiet as possible so he wouldn't be detected by any of the freak show that inhabited the mansion. Holding his breath, he scanned the hallway to see nothing but ugly portraits hanging on the walls ahead. Quickly, the _Tenryuubito_-turned-pirate pulled himself back behind the corner and quietly exhaled, "Okay...few Portrait Zombies ahead. That could pose a problem for me unless I think of a plan," he crossed his arms in thought, "If I just knew how to get rid of those walking corpses, I'd be okay to move on ahead. With Jinko-chan, all I had to do was stick with her and watch her take them out, but with her gone on her own, I'm stuck to think about how to get by them!"

The pirate doctor quietly punched the wall behind him, "Can't believe we split up...! I have to find those guys before all Hell breaks loose!"

-Flashback-

_"Are you serious?!"_

_"Isaac-san, I understand your concern, I really do, but think of the situation," Jinko made a few practice thrusts with her rapier, "They're in trouble, and they need help-,"_

_"Yeah, which is why we both need to get to them and help them!"_

_Jinko sighed and sheathed her sword, "If we're to help them, the best option, believe it or not, maybe to split up. If we split up, we can cover ground easier and faster, and at least one of us would be able to get to them,"_

_"Or one, or even both of us could get captured or whacked before we even get there!"_

_Jinko stared, "Whacked? You sound like a crime boss, or something,"_

_"You know crime bosses?"_

_"I'm an assassin, I know a lots of types of people," Jinko shrugged, "Trust me on this, please, Isaac-san. Granted, there are risks, but with all the bad mojo going down right now, I don't think it matters because sooner or later, we're going to get involved even more! We have to do this, because they were willing to help us, so we have to repay them! Also, I don't think Shidyk-kun would like the fact that he could lose the chance for a rematch with Axe-san because of this hellish place,"_

-End Flashback-

Isaac looked back around the corner and saw that nothing had changed about the hallway before him, _She's right, we're going to have get into it sooner or later..._ he took a deep breath and stepped out into the hallway, "HANG ON GUYS, I'M COMING!!" the blonde pirate suddenly took off like a shot down the hallway, a trail of dust flying into the air behind him. The Portrait Zombies in the hallway leaned out of their frames, watching the quick figure run off, then looked at each other.

"Who the hell was that asshole?"

"I have no clue...should we tell someone?"

"Hm, nah. Chances are someone like that crazy bastard is with the Blood Countess, and he's off to kill those other pirates the others are so excited about,"

"Good point...,"

* * *

Dusty pulled at her hair, her tail on end and her ears flat against her head, "Man, we must be nuts!" she turned to her nakama and the handful of Malchior's crew before her, "Look, I wanna fight and get them back, but there's just one problem,"

"Just one?" Devon muttered under his breath, "More than one, kit,"

"Shut up, Devon, I heard that!" Dusty snapped at him, "The problem is that we're missing nakama!"

"No shit, that's why we're going in!" the First Mate snapped back, "You don't think we know that?"

"Not just Axe and Azu, you dumbass, I'm talking about DJ-kun, Austin, Niri and Kirsty!" Dusty counted off her fingers, "Niri especially! She went off with the Riskys, got separated and she hasn't come back yet! Isn't anyone worried for her?!"

Chizuru threw one of her knives in the air, "Of course we are, Dusty, we're all worried for her. However, Niri's pretty tough for someone without a Devil Fruit or any kind of special ability aside from her marksmanship. She's too tough to take down, not to mention that she's got this major grudge against Kairi and Toby, so I don't think she'd let herself get killed just like that," she snapped her fingers and seconds later, her knife not only stopped in mid-air, but flew to a tree and lodged itself into the bark.

"Holy crap...!"

"Knowing her, she's doing fine and heading to the mansio as well," Chizuru said casually, walking to the tree to pluck out her knife, "We may not have favorable conditions, but that's out of our control,"

"Exactly," Devon cracked his knuckles, "Can't be helped. What we can do, however, is fight our asses off to get them back! Now, c'mon, let's go kick some freak ass!"

* * *

"Come on, Tommy, it's just up ahead, I can tell!"

Tommy jumped over a fallen tree, trying to stay as close to Niri as possible, "Wait up, ya little greenhorn!" he pleaded, "Don't be so loud, you don't know who's doing the shooting!"

"Whoever it is, it can't be much worse than the bastards on this island!"

"What if it is the bastards on this island?!" Tommy used an extra burst of speed to not only catch up with her, but pull her behind a large tree just outside the area where the gunfire was coming from, "Stop and think for a minute, kid!"

"Tommy-!"

"SHH!" Tommy clamped a hand over her mouth, "Shut up...and listen, there's more than just gunfire!" he whispered.

It was true. There was more than just gunfire. Niri was so excited about the possibilty of someone else fighting the bad guys on the island besides them, she could only hear the gunfire. Now, forced to calm down and actually pay heed to the surrounding area, she could hear other noises. Aside from gunfire, she could hear the familiar growling of lycanthropes, small explosions and she could even see firelight coming from behind the tree.

_How the hell did she not notice that? _Tommy wondered, keeping still.

_How the hell did I not notice that?_ Niri wondered as she tried to pull Tommy's hand away from her mouth.

"Just keep still and wait for whatever's going on to quiet down...," Tommy whispered, "We shouldn't do anything until then, or else it could be bad for us! Understand?"

Niri looked straight at him for a few moments, nodded slowly, and she was soon freed from Tommy's hand.

The two gunfighters kept as still and quiet as possible until the fight ahead of them began to slow down. Gunfire soon disappeared, the firelight became dimmer, and the sound of lycanthropes howling had died away completely. Tommy slowly leaned to the side to catch a view of what was going on, but when a gunshot rang through the air, followed shortly by a chunk of the tree's bark being blown off, Tommy quickly pulled his head back.

"Okay, _that_ was a bad idea," the bounty hunter murmured.

"Whatever happened to not doing anything or it could be bad for us?!" Niri hissed, "You almost got shot!"

Tommy shook his head, "Naw, that was a warning shot. Whoever's out there knows we're here, and I think if they wanted to kill us, they'd have done it already,"

Another gunshot was heard and another piece of bark exploded from the dying tree.

"I know you're there!" a voice called out, "If you come out, hands above your head, I won't kill you!"

Tommy's eye twitched, "Dammit...,"

"Wait, wait," Niri held up a hand, "That voice! I _know_ that voice!"

"What?!"

A third gunshot.

"Last chance, _senor!_"

_I knew it! _Niri grinned and pushed Tommy away from her, "Stop firing, we're coming out!" she shouted as she began to move around the tree, "Don't shoot!"

"Niri, are you crazy, we don't know if they're good or-!"

"They're good guys, Tommy, they're good guys," Niri's grin grew wider as she calmly walked into another clearing about a yard from the tree, "You still suck at firing, Kenny!"

Standing a short distance away, one of his pistols smoking, was Shiba Ken, sharpshooter belonging to Malchior, with a very surprised look on his face.

"_Senorita?!_" he lowered his pistol and ran up to her, "What the hell are you doing here of all places?!"

Niri shook her head, the grin still there, "It's a long story, but...," she suddenly threw herself at him, glomping him, "I'm so glad to see you here! Please, please tell me your nakama are here, too!"

As if on cue, a small number of people came into view from the treeline opposite of them, dusting off their clothes and looking pretty irritated.

"Not the entire batch, but pretty much so given the plan we had," Ken pulled Niri off him, "What's wrong, _senorita_, why are you here? Who was that _senor_ that I shot at?"

"Oh!" Niri held up a finger and turned around, "Tommy! It's okay, it's safe, they're good people, come out!"

Ken raised an eyebrow, "Tommy? A new nakama?"

"Sorta,"

* * *

"So, tell me, Axe,"

The treasure hunter lifted his head to look at Eva, standing in front of him again, "Don't you ever stop to rest or something?"

"I get the feeling you're doing more of that for the both of us," Eva smiled, putting her hands on her hips, "But, tell me something, Axe. If you're supposed to be this big name on the Grand Line, this so called avenger of the Samuel Clan, how the hell do you fall defeated, for a second time I might add, at the hands of your former subordinates?"

Axe looked away, "Why the hell do you care?"

"I'm just curious," Eva shrugged, "I don't have much to do here, there's a pretty famous kid here in front of me, so I'm curious. So c'mon, how did you get your ass handed to you twice?"

"...you wouldn't understand. You don't know me, and even if you did, you wouldn't understand, so why the hell should I tell you?"

Eva sighed and shook her head, "Want to hear what I think?"

"Do I have a choice?" Axe muttered, already knowing the answer.

"No. The reason you got your ass beat is because you're a man. Just a man, and nothing more,"

Axe glanced at her, a confused look on his face, "What, you're saying women are better fighters?"

"Well, in some cases-,"

"I hope that you're not saying I better being an okama to fight better, because if you are-,"

"Oh, just shut up!" Eva gave him a low punch to the gut, cutting him off and forcing Axe to gasp for air, "That wasn't what I saying at all, you idiot. What I was saying is that you're just a man, and as a man, you are flesh and blood, which means that you can be defeated, locked up and even killed. However, if you become more than just a man, if you are able to find an ideal and devote yourself to it...truly devote yourself to that ideal, then you will become something else entirely. Something that could never be destroyed or locked up,"

Axe, finally able to get some air into his lungs, looked up at her, a pissed off, yet interested look on his face, "And what would that be, Miss Thade?"

Eva smiled a little bit, "A legend. You would become a legend, Axe. Think of Gold Roger, the late Pirate King. It's been at least two decades since Roger was executed, but he's still known to this day as the Pirate King, as the man who conquered all of the Grand Line, and as the man who created this Golden Age of Piracy!" she reached up and poked him a little hard, "If you were able to do that, Axe, if you were able to go through what needs to be done to make yourself a legend, you will be unstoppable!"

The door to Kairi's room burst open and both Eva and Axe turned to see Toby slamming the doors shut behind him.

"Oh, furball's back," Eva smiled, crossing her arms, "What's going on, Moon Beast?"

"That's what I'd like to know, but I don't have the time or opportunity to know all the details," Toby quickly advanced on Eva, who didn't even back away a single step, "I know what you did,"

Eva raised an eyebrow and tilted her head, "What I did? What did I do?"

"You know damn well what you did!" Toby growled, "I don't know how you did it without getting so much blood on you, but I know you took out most of Kairi's remaining forces, I can smell it on you!"

"Is that so?" Eva asked innocently, "Well, in that case I should worry about your little Blood Countess coming down here and ripping out my throat, huh?"

Toby just glared at her.

"Unless...," Eva looked straight at him, as if looking for something, "...you haven't told her yet?"

Axe saw Toby's hands twitch just a little.

"You haven't told her!" Eva scoffed, "My, this is a surprise. Now, I know about you guys and how loyal nakama are supposed to be, so I'm wondering how come the First Mate of a feared pirate crew hasn't told his captain that most of her subordinates were decapitated by a stranger?" she tapped her chin in thought, "Perhaps you're waiting for the right time to tell her, or perhaps you have no intention of telling her whatsoever? Now, if it's the latter, why on earth aren't you saying anything?"

"That's none of your business," Toby growled.

"That may be, but I can't help being curious," Eva giggled a little bit, "Axe, what do you think? Why is the furball keeping such a big discovery from the boss-lady?"

Axe didn't answer her, because even he couldn't think of a logical answer for said question.

Toby took a deep breath and exhaled, gripping his katana, "I don't know what you're doing here, Miss Thade, but just stay out of the way, understand?"

Eva didn't answer.

The lycanthrope pulled out his sword and pressed it against her neck, "Do. You. Understand?!"

Eva calmly cracked a smile, "I understand, furball. Perfectly. Now, would you be so kind as to remove your blade?" she looked down at the steel just below her chin.

Toby looked long and hard at her, then quickly removed his weapon, sheathing it before storming out of the room.

"My...," Eva cleared her throat as she rubbed her neck, "He's certainly interesting to be around, isn't he?"

"You should've seen him _before_ he turned on me," Axe murmured, looking at the closing doors again, "Something's not right here,"

"Oh, gee, you think?" Eva leaned against a nearby wall, "I thought all of you weirdoes were interesting before, I can't wait to see how this little event plays out,"

* * *

"Everyone ready?"

"Ready as we'll ever be,"

"Let's do this!"

"YEAH!"

Devon, with the rest of his nakama (save Niri), along with the half of Malchior's crew that followed them to the Mansion, stood just outside the gates that surrounded the mansion. With a grunt, he kicked the gate hard, knocking it open with a loud **CREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAK**, followed by a loud BANG! on either side.

Herman looked up at the mansion and cracked his large, webbed knuckles, "Should we bust in?"

"No, let's see what they do first when they know we're back," Devon murmured, "I know we have people in there, but it's better that we try to get them out here so we can have some advantage, they know that place too well,"

"Sure, and they have no idea how to navigate the forest outside," Karai muttered under her breath.

_Here goes nothing...wish us luck, Thrymr!_ Devon took a deep breath.

_'Good luck, kid, you know where to find me if you need me,'_ the spirit replied, the Soul Fragment sparkling a little.

_**"HEY YOU ASSHOLES!!!"**_ Devon screamed at the very top of his lungs, **_"READY FOR ROUND TWO!!!"_**

The voice of the Demon King echoed all around them, bouncing off the outer walls of the mansion before fading into nothingness. What followed next was absolute silence. Not a sound was heard, not a a single one. The combined group of two pirate crews stood there just beyond the gates, waiting for something...anything to happen.

"Maybe you oughta try again," Jessie whispered, "I don't think they heard you_ that_ time!"

Devon shot a glance at her, then looked back at the mansion, "Kairi the Blood Countess! We've come to reclaim our nakama and to fulfill the duty we have to our captain, Samuel D. Axe! If you come out now, we'll give you a swift death!" he shouted, "This is your only chance for any shred of mercy from us!"

_Can't believe he's even offering them mercy..._ Chizuru looked at her nakama, _When he gets a chance, he is so going to rip them a new one for what they've done. I just hope he spares us a few_, she thought as tapped her daggers.

Another loud creaking made them all look at a large set of doors in the middle of the mansion's ground level. Said doors were opening slowly, and when they had fully opened, the sound of metal clanking against more metal was heard.

"Sounds like they're actually taking you up on the offer, Devon," Herman said quietly, tensing for the upcoming battle.

The sound of metal clanking grew louder and louder, and a large group of figures poured out of the mansion. The pirates were expecting their true enemies to come marching out, but what came out was a force of heavily armored and heavily armed zombies. They marched, like obedient undead soldiers, out of the mansion until they came to a complete halt just a few yards away from the pirates.

"What...the...hell...?" Jessie stared at the undead army.

"Zombies," Chizuru said casually as if it were no big deal, "Living corpses armed to the teeth and protected with heavy armor, it seems," she pulled out a couple of daggers and flipped them around, "Looks like they're wanting to wear us down before they fight us. Nothing but cowards, it seems,"

"Not exactly cowardly, it's actually a decent tactic to make conquering your enemy easier and quicker," Devon shook his head, "Still, it has some degree of cowardness," he pulled out his gladius swords and gripped them so tightly, his knuckles turned white, "FOR NAKAMA!!!"

* * *

On one of the upper levels of the mansion, Kairi stood at a large window that overlooked the two forces below.

"That's right, you pathetic little worms," she smiled, fingering her rapier, "We'll show you just how we earned our reputation on these seas," she looked over her shoulder to what was most of her remaining forces, "Kill them...kill them all!"

Damien wove his way through the cheering crowd and joined his captain at the window, "It seems that they've gathered some allies,"

Kairi nodded, "You have better eyesight, do you know who they are?"

The Zoan user chuckled, "Does it matter?"

"No, I guess not,"

"Alright then. Hm, that's odd," Damien leaned closer, "The Axe-Heads are missing a member,"

"Try five," Kairi scoffed, "Who are they missing this time?"

"That Marine woman, Zolaro, I don't see her down there,"

Kairi frowned, "That's not good," she held her chin in thought, "I've seen that look she gave me before, and that's a look of someone who won't go down easily. She must be out there _somewhere_...she's up to something," she looked to her navigator, "Damien, while the others are having a fun time, I'm giving you a special order. Go and search for the Marine. If you find her, bring her back alive! I'm sure Stitches would love to have some fun with her before I do,"

"As you wish, my dear Captain,"

* * *

**Kilnorc: Sorry for the long wait, folks, with screwing up, I wasn't able to get this updated as fast as I originally planned. Things may seem a bit scattered now, but trust me, it'll come together in time!**

**On the next chapter of Endless Nightmare...**

**Niri: How the hell do you guys know how to kill these things?!**

**Jessie: Get going! We'll cover you for a while, then we'll meet you inside!  
**

**Austin: The sword...! It's shaking!**

**Eliza: There's a difference between insanity and genius...**

**_Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate_**

**Tommy: Aw, _shit!_  
**


	22. Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate

**_Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate_**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece.**

**Kilnorc: To those who don't know their Latin or REALLY old stories, the title is a quote from Dante's Inferno, it translates into "Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here"**

* * *

Niri looked around the clearing as the handful of Malchior's crew cleaned themselves off, as well as their weaponry. Laying around the clearing, almost hidden by patches of tall, dead grass and bushes, were numerous corpses of men and women, some of them sharing wolf-like features.

"Looks like you guys had a run-in with these bastards," Niri murmured, looking at the wounds on the bodies.

Ken nodded, "Si, but luckily for us, we knew how to deal with many of these lobos. The others were just normal people, so the real challenge was the lobos,"

"I bet. However, one thing bugs the crap out of me,"

"What is it, senorita?"

Niri turned to face Ken, pointing at the dead lycanthropes, "How the hell do you guys know how to kill these things?!" she demanded as Pingu and Sora nudged various corpses, "I'd really like to know how you guys knew how to handle 'em...,"

Ken sighed as the others gathered around him, "This isn't the only place where lobos like these are present, senorita. My nakama and I have faced similiar things on our own journey, but although they were different from these, the methods are pretty much the same," he held up his pistols, "I have special bullets. Silver gave my beauties the special kick needed to put down the lobos," he nodded to his nakama, "I'm not the only one. We've all either cured or killed a few in our own time,"

Niri looked at the others. Everyone, save one person, she recognized from the past. There was Roy, Ishi, Rae, Gwen, and Ayame, but there was a young woman she didn't recognize.

Must've just picked her up in Water 7 or something... Niri thought.

Ken noticed her looking at the woman, "Oh, that's right, you haven't been introduced yet. Niri, this is Darci Rockbell, our newest nakama and shipwright,"

"Nice to meet ya," Niri gave a nod before turning back to Ken, "What the hell are you guys doing here, you never answered that question?"

Ken sighed, "It's a long story, senorita. We were leaving Water 7, and Malchior said he had familiar business ahead. When we came across this...place, he up and left. That was awhile ago, and we haven't heard anything back from him, so the others and I are looking for him,"

"Well, at least I can relate to you on that," Niri shrugged and looked around, "Where are the others? Where's Jessie, Karai, all of them?"

"We split up,"

"Say what?" Niri snapped her head back to the sharpshooter, "Are you high?"

"No, senorita, I'm not," Ken facefaulted a little, "We just thought that if we split up, we'd have a better success rate of finding him,"

"Now, after you see what's on this island, what are you thinking, Kenny?"

"...may not have been a good idea, in hindsight,"

"Damn right!" Niri slugged him in the shoulder, "I'll fill you in on my own problems, but before I do, I want to fully introduce you to my friend," she jerked a thumb to Tommy, "This is Tommy Horn, former bounty hunter and also, former Axe-Head Pirate,"

Ken and the others stared at him.

"If you're worried about that bounty hunter thing, she said I am formerly a bounty hunter," Tommy held up a hand, "If you know Niri, then you'll probably know about Axe. I used to be one of the members of his first crew,"

"What the hell are you doing here, then?"

"Good question,"

"Yeah, what's the deal?"

Tommy gripped his rifle, "I'm here to deal out punishment and to know the truth,"

* * *

A loud growl was heard just beside Kairi's ear, "How are the pirates doing against the General Zombies?"

Kairi's eye twitched and she pushed a unseen entity away from her personal space, "They're holding their own, but not by much, Absalom. How are you holding out, hiding from the warthog and her personal shadow?"

The beast man's eye twitched, "That's none of your business!"

"Whatever," Kairi sighed, sounding a little bored, "Any idea where the rest of my crew is?"

"Pfft, like I actually give a damn where they go. As long as they don't wake up Moria-sama, they can go around lit on fire for all I care,"

* * *

"I!"

_THOK_

"REALLY!"

_SLASH_

"HATE!"

_BAM_

"ZOMBIES!" Dusty screamed as she threw a large zombie with her powerhouse form, "I REALLY DO!!!"

"We know, Kit, we know! Just hang ong!" Devon brought his swords up to stop an incoming attack from another zombie, The hell? These things are stronger than the ones we had to fight off earlier to get the hell out of this mansion! Don't tell me these corpses can actually have differences in power level!

Herman slugged a zombie hard in the face with one of his large hands, making the undead stumble back, "We can't keep doing this guys, they just keep coming back!"

"He's right!" Chizuru ducked to avoid an axe-swipe from yet another zombie before launching said zombie a fair distance with her telekinesis, "We have to think of something fast, or else we're going to waste all of our energy!"

No kidding! Devon looked, trying to find a clear path to the mansion doors, but every possible way was just covered with the stronger zombies, Shit! I guess I could try and cut them all down, but that wouldn't give us much time. However...! he turned to his nakama, "Herman!"

"What?!"

"Get over here!"

"A little busy right now!"

"We need a clear path! C'mon, rock and roll, Red!"

_Rock and roll?_ Herman's stalks swiveled around to see Devon pointing to the doors on the other side of the zombie group. It didn't take him long to understand what Devon was asking him to do. Nodding, Herman picked up two more zombies, bashed them together and threw them far before curling into a large red ball, _Let's hope this works!_ he thought as he began to spin around and around, increasing his speed with each passing second, Here we go!

The Fish-Man shot off into the group of zombies, plowing right through them. It was a bit more difficult than he or Devon imagined, but the chef was able to clear a wide path straight to the mansion's front doors, the attacking zombies laying on either side of the path.

"Chizuru! Dusty! C'mon, the path is open!" Devon shouted to his nakama before turning to Malchior's own nakama, "Let's go, guys!"

Jessie bashed a zombie over the head with her weapon, "Go on! We'll cover you guys!"

"But-!"

"Get going!" Jessie repeated, glaring at him from over his shoulder, "We'll cover you for a while, then we'll meet you inside!"

From that tone in her voice, Devon knew there was no talking her out of it. He gave a nod, "You guys be careful!"

"Same to you! Now GO!"

Devon turned and bolted for the front doors, like his nakama who were running ahead of him, "Go, go, go, go, go, go!"

* * *

"Ooooh, well, I didn't exactly expect that!" Kairi smiled a little, having enjoyed the display of power from her viewpoint, "I thought you said the General Zombies were far stronger than normal zombies?" she turned to see a stunned Absalom standing next to her, his beastial jaw hanging open in disbelief.

"They...they're supposed to be! I mean, they are!" the beast man stammered before clenching his fists, "If they're able to get through the Generals like that, than they're not normal pirates! Moria-sama should know about these people, he could make use of their strength!"

Kairi shot him a cold look, "We had a deal, furball. The Axe-Head pirates are mine and mine alone to deal with,"

Absalom glanced at her, sharing an equally cold look, "You didn't say they were strong like this!"

"I may have underestimated them," she admitted, "But still, they're weak, so it'll prove no problem in the long run,"

"Lady Kairi, Lady Kairi!"

The Blood Countess looked over her shoulder to see one of lower zombies approaching her, "What is it now, I'm enjoying a show?"

"I'm sorry, but there's a problem! Er, another problem, I mean!"

Kairi's eye twitched, I'm so sick of these setbacks! she tried to keep a calm face although she was very irritated that so many things had gone wrong by now, "What is it?"

"W-Well," the zombie looked at her, then at Absalom, who nodded, then looked back at her, "The musician the others caught in the forest...,"

Again, her eye twitched, "What about him?"

"I'm afraid that he...uh...he's...escaped?"

Within the blink of an eye, Kairi was up close and personal to the messenger of bad news, her hands gripping the tattered clothing tightly as she lifted him easily into the air, "HE'S WHAT?!"

"I'm sorry, forgive me!" the zombie pleaded, thrashing in her grasp, "We thought he was dead! A few others and I went to go get him because Eliza-chan wanted to run some tests on him along with the White Dragon, but when we picked him out, we saw that he wasn't moving at all, so we checked to see if he was alive, but there was no pulse!"

Kairi grit her teeth, "...what happened, then?"

"I-I-I dunno! We removed the chains and melted the webs to double check him and as soon as everything came off, he opened his eyes, knocked us down and sped off! But, that's not the only bit of bad news,"

"Oh, please...please do go on...," Kairi tightened her grip on the undead, "I'm _very_ interested to know what happened afterward!"

"We were looking at the sword trinket the other zombies gave you at the time we went to retrieve him and...," the zombie gulped, "Long story short, the musician's not only escaped, but he's armed!"

About five seconds later, the zombie who delivered the news to the Blood Countess went flying out the nearby window, screaming as he fell all the way down to the ground, landing just a short distance from the General Zombies and the remnants of Malchior's crew.

"Should've just killed these bastards myself right off the bat," Kairi ran her hands through her hair, "Dammit it all to Hell!"

Absalom couldn't help but chuckle a little, earning a very angry glare from his master's guest.

"Shut the hell up you twisted man-furry!" she snapped, "I'm in no mood!"

The beast-man shrugged idly, a grin still plastered on his face, "You may be strong, but you're still a guest to my master Moria in this place, so you don't have the power to order me around, Blood Countess. Besides, you have bigger things to worry about than one person laughing at you...,"

* * *

_Okay...okay...lemme just try and figure this out..._ Austin found himself a small, unused room and slipped inside, closing the door behind him and sat down against it, placing his new sword on the floor, _I gotta focus my Mantra to find anyone else in here, but it's hard enough to find anyone! I used to be able to pick them up easy, even if they're hurt, but I can barely sense any of them! To make things worse, there's like a thousand of those zombie freaks out there!_

He held his head, smacking himself upside said head a few times, _C'mon, Austin, get it together! Either something's screwing with my Mantra, or there's something wrong with me!_

As he sat there, trying to get himself together, Austin noticed something happening. It started with a light clattering kind of sound, and it grew louder and more rapid with each passing second. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the sword Taeko gave him move around in it's sheath, as if it was vibrating because of some big footsteps, but there were no footsteps.

_What the hell?_ Austin reached down and picked up the sword, feeling it continue shaking in his grip, _The sword...! It's shaking!_

As he examined the shaking sword, he noticed something odd. While the handle seemed to be wrapped tightly in leather, there was one part of it that suddenly seemed off about it. Austin hadn't noticed it before because he had to leave Tobias' room before he came back again, so he never had time to fully examine the sword. He had only examined one side of the sword, but when he turned it around, he noticed a beautiful jewel inserted on the other side, implanted in the middle of the guard. It was beautiful, perfectly round, had a lovely shade of green and even had a dark slit in the middle of it, but that wasn't what really put it apart from the sword itself. The thing that caught Austin's attention was that the jewel itself was glowing. The glow itself wasn't too bright so it'd give away a person's (namely Austin's) location, but it glowed just bright enough to be noticed if it faced the right direction.

_Okay..._ Austin lowered the still shaking sword, _...**this** is weird..._

* * *

"You know, it's not very often I find such strong patients to examine. Usually I have to either work quickly because they'll die from the shock or from moving around so much, their body can't exactly handle the procedures, but you and your drunk friend...you're surprisingly strong enough to go through all this,"

Eliza looked up from her work at Kirsty, who was no doubt in great pain, judging from the look on her face, but the Axe-Head doctor wasn't screaming or thrashing like most people would, even if they were bound to the table. That was due to a couple of shots that Eliza gave her: one in her neck to relax her vocal cords so that the BV doctor could work in silence, and another to totally paralyze her. Of course, before she had begun her tests, she temporarily sedated Kirsty long enough to know only remove some of her bonds to give her room to work with, but she also removed most of her clothing. Normally, she would've snipped them away into pieces, but Eliza had to admit the clothes she had were nice enough to keep for herself, so as the two of them "worked together", Kirsty's clothes were on a chair nearby. The Axe-Head doctor couldn't believe that she was not only abducted for like the hundredth time, but now she was wearing only her unmentionables and was at the mercy of some crazy bitch surgeon.

Eliza had been working on Kirsty for what seemed like an eternity now, although it was only a short time, but in that amount of time, she was able to witness Kirsty's healing powers. The Butcheress jotted down everything she saw on a clipboard, recording every result she could see for future studying.

"I'm very impressed at your healing speed, no doubt caused by your Devil Fruit, Miss Chambers, but there's something that makes me wonder," Eliza reached over and tapped Kirsty's throat, "I injected you with a couple of foreign substances and it's rendering part of your body helpless. I'm not an expert on Devil Fruits, but on medicine, so I'm curious as to how you're not able to heal from a simple shot. Could it be that the healing power you possess doesn't heal internal injuries but external injuries? Or, is it possible that while it can heal both, it just takes longer to heal the internal injuries?"

Kirsty could only glare at her, unable to move.

"I know what you're thinking," Eliza nodded slowly, "But I've heard it all before, believe me. I used to be a well-respect surgeon, with a very good mentor to guide me, but when it was time to stand on my own two feet, I made a name for myself working for all kinds of people all over the world. They used to come from all over to me, begging to be saved, to be cured, and naturally, I did it just as my mentor showed me, but somewhere down the road, I began to think differently. Most people do different things in order to achieve the same goal, and I am no different. I wanted to save many people, but a lot of the conditions that I came across had no reasonable solution, so I had to resort to less than ordinary methods to solve them. This worked for a time, but eventually some overly strict officials came down on me for endangering the patients under my care with the treatments I gave them. My reputation as a great surgeon was tainted, and work didn't come as much as it did, but I kept to my ideals. Granted, there were some deaths or even some....what people could call mutilations...along the way, which earned my bounty and title of 'Butcheress', but I want you to know, from one doctor to another, it's all in the name of medical science. After all," Eliza smiled sweetly, "You can't expect to make an omelet without breaking a few eggs, am I right?"

Kirsty's glare was replaced by a look of shock.

"I've been called mad, insane, crazy, all kinds of names, but I don't care," Eliza sighed, "_You_ may even think I'm insane for doing this to you, but I want you to understand something, alright? There is a difference between insanity and genius...a distance between the two, if you will, and that is the rate of success you have. If you do unorthodox things in the name of science and you come out golden, then you're a genius. However, if you do the same things and kill a few...dozen or so people, then you're insane and a criminal," the surgeon shrugged, "It's all on how you look at it, I suppose. That's sort of how I came to be with the Blood Countess. She doesn't judge me for my beliefs and she always gives me plenty of patients to work on, and I don't judge her for her own actions in return. I don't really mind what they do though, as long as they don't kill the most promising subjects, then I'm all good. Speaking of patients, you should see that giant hybrid we have on our crew, the drunkard's brother. One look at him and the improvements I gave him, and you'll appreciate my ideals almost immediately,"

_For the love of all the frickin' gods, goddesses or whatever the hell is out there, someone get me the fuck out of this crazy place!!!_ Kirsty screamed in her head, _NOW!!!_

* * *

"Man, I swear that if we ever get out of here, Axe and Azu owe us so much!" Dusty panted as she and her nakama came to a large room inside the mansion, safe from the General Zombies from outside, "Seriously! Kirsty too, she gets nabbed so damn much, it's embarassing,"

"Says the girl who not only got caught by her old nakama a couple of times, but by the family she hates with every fiber in her being?" Chizuru reminded her, fanning herself with her hat, "I'll admit, this is definitely in the category of HUGE THINGS WE DO FOR NAKAMA, but I don't think we should make it so they owe us,"

Herman looked around the room, which was empty save them and a few pieces of furniture and three doors, one of which they had entered, "I'm with Chizzy on this one. Even if we did, I say we wait until we actually find them and escape before we even think of doing something like that," he looked to Devon, who was standing a few feet away from the other two doors in the room, "Well, we're inside, what do we do now?"

Devon looked at the doors, then up at the ceiling, "This place is huge, and we already know what's back there," he pointed the way they came, "There's one plan that's probably the best idea to go with, but I know at least one of you ain't gonna like it...,"

"Aw crap...!" Dusty glared at him, "I don't have to be psychic like Chizuru to know what you're talking about," she pointed a finger accusingly at him, "You're saying we should split up, aren't you?!"

Devon remained silent.

"That's _not_ a great idea, and you know why?!" Dusty huffed, "The last few people that got separated from us haven't come back, so how do we know that we'll be okay if we do?!"

Chizuru walked past her, "There's no guarantee that we will be safe, just like there's no guarantee that we'll ever get out of here alive, but that's life. There are no guarantees, only chances, and in life, you'll have to take a leap of faith and go with those chances before anything else happens," she put her hat back on her head, "I'm with Devon on this, and I'm going with him. Herman, you go with Dusty,"

_Great, I'm stuck with the kit..._ Herman glanced at Dusty,_ She may be nakama, but I'd even take Azu over her right about now._

_Dammit! I hate splitting up, but at least Herman will be around to watch my back,_ Dusty looked at Herman and flashed a grin with a thumbs up, "Rock on,"

"We'll take this door and you guys can take the other door," Devon jerked a thumb to the doors nearby, "Just do your best and stay alive, you'll be fine,"

"Pfft, says you," Dusty muttered under her breath, crossing her arms.

"Just shut up and get going, kit. Herman, just do what you can,"

"I'll try, but I can't promise on Dusty making it back,"

"Got no problem with that,"

"HEY! SHUT THE HELL UP, YOU BASTARD!"

* * *

"Aw, _shit!_ What the hell happened?!"

Tommy knelt down to Pingu and Sora, who were laying on the ground a few yards from the clearing where Ken and the others were waiting. The two of them went with Niri to get Hyde at Tommy's request, but when neither of them came back after awhile, the former bounty hunter and the others began to get worried. Tommy left the others at the clearing, deciding he should be the one to look for them, and it didn't take him long to find the animals...but the problem was that Niri was nowhere to be seen.

The bounty hunter looked the animals over to see small bloodstains on their fur and feathers, "Looks like they had a run in with something...," he looked around at the earth beneath him, looking for signs of anything, "Not much of a struggle, and there's no footprints leading away...where the hell are they?"

A loud snapping made him spin around, pistol in his hand.

"Whoa, it's me, Tommy, it's me!" Hyde held up his hands, "Just me,"

Tommy sighed and lowered his gun, "Stop sneaking up like that, man, one of these days you're going to get your head blown off," he holstered his weapon, "Where's Zolaro? I found her animals, but I can't find her anywhere,"

Hyde shook his head, "You aren't gonna like this, but...,"

* * *

_Well, that was easier than expected..._ Damien thought as he flew back to the mansion, an unconscious and disarmed Niri in his talons, _Quicker too, though it could've been a lot quicker if those damned pets of hers didn't try and take me on,_ he winced as he felt a shot of pain in his side, _Damn penguin caught me off guard and headbutted me onto my ass! That bird ain't normal...ain't normal at all! Still, the captain should pleased with this kid._

* * *

**Kilnorc: Okay, some parts of this may seem a bit off, but I've gone over it again and again in my head and it's the best I can come up with. Sooooo, if ya'll ain't satisfied, it'll work out in future chapters, I promise! Now, on with the others!**

**On the next chapter of Endless Nightmare...**

**Kairi: So, tell me Axe, what hurts more: getting beaten by an old nakama or watching an old nakama hurt one of the people closest to your heart?**

**Niri: You want a piece of me? Come and get it, bitch!**

**Eva: I wonder just how strong the two of you are...? What gives you the strength to fight?  
**

**Isaac: OH CRAP, NOT YOU AGAIN!!!  
**

**Undying Love**

**Kairi: You think you're the _only_ one who had his heart?  
**


	23. Undying Love

**Undying Love**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece.**

**Kilnorc: Awright! Time for the long awaited chapter I KNOW ya'll have been dying for...CATFIGHT CHAPTER! Hahaha...okay, I know you haven't really been waiting for a catfight chapter between Kairi and Niri, but it'll do well for now, mwahaha.**

* * *

"I don't see what the point of this is,"

"I bet you can't see a_ lot_ of things,"

"Oh, ha ha, kick a man while he's down, huh? That's low, even for _you_,"

It was true, Axe couldn't see the point of Kairi's recent actions. In fact, he couldn't see anything at all since before he felt himself being lifted off the ground and carried somewhere, Kairi tied a sack around his head, keeping him blind to the surroundings in the mansion. While he was being carried by a force of zombies, Kairi trailed behind him, Toby and Eva at either side of her. The Blood Countess still wasn't sure what this Thade person had in mind, hell she didn't even know how she got to Thriller Bark without drawing attention to herself, so she ordered her to tag along. Eva had no objections and left the room peacefully without trouble, sticking to the lycanthrope and his keeper.

_She's got something planned for Axe, that much I'm sure of,_ Eva cast a sideglance at the two traitors, _Just as Toby's got something planned in his own little mind. I wonder who is going to execute their plan first? More importantly, I wonder just what the two of them have planned at the moment._

Toby noticed Eva looking at him and Kairi. She looked away and smiled a little, angering the werewolf a small amount. He gripped his katana, _This woman is trouble. I don't know who she is, where she came from, or how she got here, but she knows that I'm keeping information from Kairi. However, she knows that I know who it was that killed off a large number of the crew...sort of leaves us at an impasse then, since I don't think she'd want me to tell Kairi what she's done and I know I can't let her spill anything about my hestitance to tell Kairi in the first place. Still, there's something about her that just...doesn't feel right. I have to keep a close eye on her, which is going to be somewhat difficult now._

* * *

DJ looked around a corner, gripping Raikiri tightly in his hands, just in case he was attacked, _Man, this place is fuckin' crazy! I have no clue where I am, I have no clue where Austin is, and I have no idea where the hell Axe or Azu are either!_ he shrank back behind the corner when he saw a handful of zombies walk around nearby, _Crap...okay, okay, calm down, Macleod, calm down. There's gotta be someway to kill these assholes, or at least knock them down on their asses longer than a few seconds_, he tried to think, tried to calm down, but the thoughts of his friends in danger weren't helping in anyway.

_DAMMIT!_ he clenched his katana more tightly, _Gotta be someway to make this easier on myself. Maybe if I just hum a song to myself, maybe that'll help me calm down and think? But which song?_

It didn't really take him long to figure out which one to do.

_Hehe...when you're scared, or can't think straight, sing a song to take your mind off things!_ DJ grinned, _Duh!_

_"Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,  
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,  
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,  
Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,  
_

_  
Going to deliver Bink's Sake!  
Following the sea breeze!  
Riding on the waves!  
Far across the salty depths!  
The merry evening sun!  
Painting circles in the sky!  
as the Birds Sing..."_

DJ paused, just for a moment, and was just about to continue when he heard a sudden scream from nearby. Looking back around the corner, he saw the zombies from before running down the hallway.

"HE'S BACK!" one of them screamed, "HE'S BACK! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

"THE HUMMING SWORDSMAN!!! HE'LL PURIFY YOU!!! **RUN!!!**"

The Axe-Head musician stood there, stupified as the zombies disappeared from sight. He pulled back behind the corner, scratching his head.

"What the hell just happened here?"

* * *

"What the-?! Kairi, you piece of shit, what the hell are you doing?!"

Kairi looked back and smiled wickedly at the horrified look on Axe's face as Damien entered one of the larger rooms of the mansion, holding a now conscious and thrashing Niri in his grip. Niri had a large bruise on the side of her head and a bloody bandage on her shoulder.

"What the hell did you guys do to her?!" Axe snapped as he tried to pull away from the cross, but to no avail, "Niri! Are you okay?!"

"Axe!" Niri let out a yelp as Damien wrapped a strong arm around her neck, "Leggo!"

Kairi chuckled and began to pace back and forth between the two Axe-Heads, "I hope you don't mind us having a guest here, Captain, but I thought that she would want to see you again, since she didn't have much of a chance to do so earlier," she glanced at Niri's wounds, "Been busy, I see," she looked at Damien, "Did you...?"

Damien shook his head, "Only the bruise, looks like it was Lovett who made the shoulder injury. Had to knock her out, otherwise I may have dropped her on the way back," he tightened his grip a little, "Least she's awake now, Captain,"

"True, true," Kairi nodded and began pacing, "I still find it rather amazing that the Marine we encountered not too long ago was a friend of dear old Axe," she chuckled, "I wonder just how close of friends you two are?" she looked at Axe, "So, tell me, Axe, what hurts more: getting hurt by a former nakama...," she pointed to her handiwork, "...or watching an old nakama hurt one of the people closest to your heart?"

Axe's eyes widened.

"Oh, I think I got my answer," Kairi giggled, "You know, I have changed so much since our journey began, Axe, so damn much. I've done many things, killed a lot of people, and I know there are a lot of people out there who would and have actually died for a chance to fight me in a pathetic attempt to avenge the people I've put down," she tapped her chin, "I wonder, just how badly your Marine friend wants to try and fight me out of vengeance?"

A loud noise from behind was heard and Kairi looked over her shoulder to see Damien had released Niri and was now holding onto his ribs while Niri was behind her, free as an outlaw, her hands clenched tightly into fists.

"Again, I think I got my answer," Kairi scoffed, turning to face Niri, "You do want to fight me, _really_ badly, don't you?"

"No fuckin' duh...," Niri spat at her, holding up her fists, "Let's go!"

Axe's jaw dropped, "Niri, are you crazy?! You can't just-!"

"Axe, you better shut the fuck up right now or else I'm gonna go over there and beat you until you finally do!" Niri cut him off, her knuckles turning bone white, "You gave me a promise a long time back, you said that I could kill her!"

"Oh, is that so?" Kairi raised an eyebrow, "Did he promise you that? You know, he used to make promises to me and the others, too. He promised us that we'd find treasure, he promised us that we'll take the Grand Line by storm, and he even promised us that when he found One Piece, all of our dreams will have come true," she smirked, "Personally, he gave me a promise, too,"

"Kairi!" Axe struggled with his bonds, "She doesn't need to hear that!"

The Blood Countess tilted her head, "Hm, perhaps, perhaps not...still, you did promise her that she could kill me, so how could either of us disappoint her?" she slowly advanced on Niri, making her back away, "Let's have a little match here, Marine, and if you win, you and your nakama are free to leave. If you lose...well, that's pretty self-explanatory, don't you think?"

Niri grinned, "Deal...,"

Axe couldn't believe what he was hearing or what he was seeing for that matter. Even though he was no where near his usual level of strength, he tried to get himself free of the cross, but not to fight Kairi, he wanted to get off so he could save Niri from Kairi. Kairi looked back at Axe, "Save your energy, dear Axe, you'll need it. Just sit back and enjoy the match," she held up her hands, "I won't even use my rapier, I'll make this a fair fight,"

"Good, because _I_ won't!"

Turning back to Niri, Kairi received a hard kick to the face that sent her flying across the large room. Axe's jaw dropped as he watched Niri lower her leg, "What...the...hell?! Niri, I know you're getting stronger, but when-?"

"Not now, baka," Niri cut him off again, "Just shut up and watch. Now, as for you...," she paused, watching Kairi pick herself up from the floor, a thin trail of blood dribbling down her chin, , "I know who and what you are, and I know that you deserved to be punished for everything you've done," she raised her fists again, "You want a piece of me? Come and get it, bitch!"

Kairi laughed quietly as she wiped the blood off her chin, looking at the dark liquid on her hand for a brief moment before looking up at Niri, "That's going to be the only good shot you'll get out of this, girl," she unhooked her rapier from her hip and tossed it to Toby, "I won't be needing this,"

* * *

"Who the hell is this punk?"

"_He's _not the Humming Swordsman!"

"Bastard tried to trick us!"

DJ scratched his head with one hand as he held onto Raikiri with other, trying to figure out what the zombies that currently surrounded him were talking about. He turned to a random zombie, "What the hell are you talking about? Who's this Humming Swordsman?"

"A bastard who came here five years ago and screwed everything up for the Master," the zombie growled, "He purified our comrades in search of his zombie and his shadow!"

The musician whistled, "Nice. Wait, I still don't understand how you got me confused for that guy?"

The zombie growled again, "He was humming that damn song you were singing! He always hummed that shortly before he attacked us zombies!"

"Huh...go figure," DJ tapped his shoulder with Raikiri, "Guess I should be flattered, but I guess you'd all wanna try and take me down again, hm?" he asked, looking around at the zombies, "Well then, I don't want to be a bastard and deny you all a chance, so come at me with everything you got,"

-A short while later-

DJ darted off down the mansion's dark corridors, leaving a mess of defeated zombies in his wake.

One of the zombies lifted his head, "That...bastard...too strong!"

"Least...he didn't...purify us...,"

* * *

_This isn't right! She may want to kill Kairi for what she's done to her and Baron, but she's going to get herself killed if she keeps going on with this!_ Axe grit his teeth as he watched both Kairi and Niri exchange blows, knocking each other around the room while Damien, Toby, Eva and a handful of Zombies just watched on, not one of them stepping in. Niri was already in bad shape with those wounds she had when she came in, she wasn't up in her prime when she launched herself at the Blood Countess, who by the way wasn't showing any injury or any fatigue from the fight. In fact, the fighting seemed to drive her, it seemed to excite her.

_Dammit..._ Niri winced, her shoulder was feeling like it was on fire, blood seeping more and more into her bandages, _If it wasn't for this hackjob that bitch gave me...if I just had one of my guns, I'd be able to win this!_ she reached up and wiped blood from her face, her nose and mouth bleeding a fair amount from a few quick blows courtesy of Kairi, _Still, I can't just give up! I have to beat her...I have to make her pay for what she's done, and for all the pain she's caused..._ she glanced at Axe, _I have to do this...for all of them!_

"See something you like, Marine?" Kairi's voice whispered in her ear from behind, startling Niri a split second before the Blood Countess grabbed hold of Niri from behind and throwing her across the room. The sharpshooter hit the wall so hard, a large dent and a web of cracks were formed on the second of impact. Blood shot outward of Niri's mouth before she slumped to the floor, holding back cries of anguish.

Kairi chuckled, shaking her head as she advanced on her, "I'm _so_ disappointed, Miss Marine!" she said mockingly, "I would have thought that, a person who traveled under Axe's leadership would've become strong! After all, Toby and I did, hell everyone in the crew did! Even our own shooter was, and most likely currently, stronger than you are right now! How does Axe put up with your weakness?"

"Shut...shut up...!" Niri wheezed, her arms shaking as she tried to pick herself up.

Her enemy shrugged, "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. After all, I've seen strong men and women become weak over time and with Axe's lack of strength, I suppose it's no great shock that he picked a weak, worthless, piece of crap nakama to journey with him," she reached down and grabbed onto Niri's ebony hair, hauling her to her knees, "You're just lucky I decided to go easy on you for sport, Marine, otherwise you would've been dead before you even hit the ground,"

"KAIRI! ENOUGH OF THIS!"

Kairi looked back at Axe, who was clearly in the very pissed off area of emotions, since she saw veins and his face becoming very red.

Chuckling, she turned around and dragged Niri to her front, still cluthing onto her hair, "Look at that, Marine, your dear pirate captain is angry for some reason. I wonder if he's angry at the fact that you're a weakling and getting your ass handed to you so easily, or perhaps he's angry at me for hurting you, or maybe, just maybe, he's angry with himself. After all, this isn't the first time he's let someone close to his heart suffer like this,"

Niri didn't seem to hear the words of the Blood Countess. In fact, she didn't seem to hear anything at all. Once again, she could hear her heartbeat speed up, just like when she fought Lovett, and everything changed, just like before. It could've been the pain, it could've been her anger, but a lot of the noise around her was drowned out, and all she could hear was her rapid heartbeat. She could feel an all too familiar surging sensation through her entire body. However, she wasn't the only one who noticed the change...

Axe, Toby and Eva, even Damien noticed the change in the former Marine's physical appearance. Axe's anger was quickly quelled when he saw Niri's own veins appear on her body accompanied with heavy breathing.

What...the...hell...? he shook his head, "N-Niri?"

Toby looked at the former Marine, I can smell her blood...I can hear her heart beating much faster than before. I don't know what's going on, maybe it's just a small burst of adrenaline, but I do know that if I can sense the changes within her body... he glanced at Kairi, She can, too, thanks to her own abilities!

And sure enough, Kairi did notice the difference. Curious, she turned Niri around, still holding onto her hair, and looked right at her.

"I can hear your heart racing, Marine, I can smell your blood as more and more leaks into your bandage," she glanced at the growing red, wet spot on Niri's patch-job, then back at her, "Is it fear? Is it fear, Marine, that makes your heart race like crazy? I can understand that, after all, even though you have witnessed and experienced so many other things on your journey with Axe, the only thing you actually have to be afraid of is me,"

Niri grinned, "...so...w-wrong...,"

Kairi blinked, "Hm?"

"You...you think I'm afraid of you?" Niri opened her eyes and looked straight at Kairi's own eyes, "You piece of shit. I know what you are, I know how to beat you, so why the hell do you think I'm scared of you?" she reached up and grabbed Kairi's arm, "If anyone has anything to be afraid of...it's _you_!"

Eva watched on with great interest. She had been through many battles and had many opponents, so she knew the behavior of those who were close to death. At the rate the Blood Countess was going, she very well could've finished Niri off in a short amount of time, but the former Marine wasn't showing even a single hint of fear. No fear, but anger...or perhaps it wasn't. Turning her head, she saw Axe watching the events unfold, some of his own veins still visible on his body, throbbing like mad.

_She takes on whatever the young Countess takes at her, and you strive to free yourself even in your condition..._ Eva rubbed her chin, _I wonder just how strong the two of you are...? What gives you the strength to fight? Is it anger, or is it something **else**?_

"AH! YOU BITCH!"

Eva turned back to see Niri flying through the air again, Kairi holding her arm for some reason. She expected the former Marine to hit the ground again, or even hit a wall like before, but this time, it was very different. As she flew in the air, Niri seemed to perform some kind of acrobatics, or something and instead of smashing into the floor, she actually landed on her feet and crouched down, like a cat. Kairi stared at the Marine, clutching her arm.

What the hell is she trying to pull? One moment I'm beating her around like an animal does with it's prey, and the next second she actually releases herself from my grip like it was nothing! Kairi grit her teeth, glaring at the Marine, What's changed?

"Toby!" Kairi raised her hand and snapped her fingers, "My sword!"

"Your sword?!" Axe watched in disbelief as Toby threw the rapier to it's owner, "Kairi, you can't-!"

"This doesn't concern you, Axe," Kairi cut him off, unsheathing her sword, "This is a fight between two pirates,"

"Yeah, Axe," Niri's eyes locked onto Kairi's, "Stay out of this!"

Eva tapped her arm, "Hmm...this is going to be_ very_ interesting,"

"I hope you realize what you're getting yourself into," Kairi raised her rapier, pointing the tip right at Niri, "I was just toying with you before. Now, it's gone from a playful confrontation to a real battle between two pirates. A battle which, is a fight to the death. Are you prepared to risk your life?"

Niri grinned, "As a Marine, I risked my life every day, since a threat of a pirate attack was always present. As a pirate, I risked my life every day, since the threat of Marines and bounty hunters could appear at any given moment," she raised her fists, her heart still pounding in her ears, "I am prepared to risk it now, I have been ever since I first left my home!!"

With that, the two pirate women bum-rushed one another.

"NIRI!!!"

* * *

_Okay, let's have a private moment to think about my current situation..._ Isaac came to a halt and folded his arms, _I'm totally lost in a huge mansion filled with nightmarish freaks and walking corpses. I am separated from my nakama, and the pirates who helped us before are in danger. I almost got my guts ripped out of my body thanks to a fatass with metal teeth, but the wound and pain are just about healed thanks to my skill wiith ki healing_, he looked down at the less than noticeable wound on his torso, _So, if I take the good and bad, and weigh them...I'm **still** screwed. However, just because things look bad for myself, doesn't mean I should just give up, I **have** to keep going._

The doctor couldn't help but grin, "I wonder what _she_ would do in a place and situation like this?" he took a deep breath, paused and gagged, "Oh shit...," he gagged and coughed, waving his hand in front of his face, "What the hell is that smell? It smells like...smells like...,"

"Smells like _what_, meatbag?" a deep, bone-chilling voice rumbled behind him.

Isaac froze, color draining from his face.

"Come back for seconds, boy?"

Isaac slowly turned around to see what could be called a human blob wearing a belt of skulls and holding two bloody cleavers standing in front of him. Theo Gaine chuckled, saliva dribbling down his many fat necks, mixing with the blood that covered his front. The cannibal raised a massive arm in an attempt to wipe his face, but just ended up smearing more and more blood across his ugly, piggish face.

It seemed like an eternity for Isaac to get his voice back, but when he did, he knew just what to say.

**"OH CRAP, NOT _YOU_ AGAIN!!!"**

Theo roared with laughter and raised his cleavers, "COME TO PAPA, MEATBAG!" he bellowed just before bringing his cleavers down onto his intended meal. Isaac quickly jumped back from the incoming cleavers, which soon found themselves lodged into the stone floor of the mansion corridor. Theo grunted and pried them loose, then started to approach his prey.

Isaac didn't waste anytime; he turned and bolted down the corridor, Theo bounding close behind him.

"Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, crap!"

* * *

"I thought the Marine girl wasn't that strong!"

"I thought the Countess was really strong!"

"I hope they don't wake Moria-sama up with all this noise...,"

The zombies that accompanied Kairi's nakama into the large room watched as both Niri and Kairi kept going at each other. The former Marine's speed and strength had changed drastically, so much actually she seemed to keeping up with the Blood Countess. In addition to her speed, every blow that she landed seemed to actually injure the Countess, not a whole lot, but enough to be noticed. Axe watched, barely blinking at all as the two of them went back and forth.

_I don't understand...Niri's strong, sure, but she shouldn't be capable of doing **this** to Kairi, it's impossible! How is she doing this?!_

He wasn't the only one thinking that at that very moment.

_Little wench had a secret weapon, it looks like..._ Kairi gripped her bloody rapier, the red droplets dripping onto the floor beneath her, _It doesn't matter though. I can tell she's giving it her all, but unfortunately for her, I'm not even fighting at my full strength! I'll play with her a little bit more, than I'll deal a blow that'll tear Axe's heart into pieces!_

Niri ran full force at her, _"Waving of the Colors!"_ **(1)** as soon as she was close enough, the former Marine lifted her leg and spun, ramming her foot into the side of Kairi's face. Before the Blood Countess could have a chance to retaliate, Niri launched roundhouse kick after roundhouse kick into the former First Mate. When she lowered her leg, the zombies thought this would be Kairi's chance to fight back, but Niri still wasn't done, she began pummel Kairi with a series of punches and jabs this time, each one landing on Kairi's torso. Finally, she jumped up and rammed both feet into Kairi's chest, sending her back a fair distance with an OOF!

Eva whistled and nudged Axe in the ribs, "Look at the little girl go, Axe. She's got some real fire in her, she just keeps going at her, doesn't she?"

Axe just glared at her for a brief moment before looking back at the fight.

Kairi threw up one of her legs and kicked Niri hard in the ribs, sending her flying across the room again, "You sure do have spirit, Marine, I'll give you that! To tell the truth, I've rarely come across one that gives me such an entertaining scrap. Usually, I come across weaklings who go down when I make the first cut, but you...you, Miss Marine, are quite different. For such an occasion...," she raised her rapier and held it in front of her face, "...allow me you to show you just what I'm capable of!"

No...! Axe struggled against his bonds again, Niri doesn't know how well Kairi is with a blade! I gotta try and warn her or-!

"It wouldn't matter even if you did warn her, she'd give the Marine the attack no matter what,"

Axe turned his head to Toby, the lycan's own eyes focused on the fight in front of them.

"_El Baile de la Muerte!" _**(2) **Kairi vanished from sight completely, leaving only Niri on the battlefield.

_What the hell kinda move is that?!_ Axe stared and looked around, trying to find where she went.

Niri chuckled, flexing her hands, _If you think that will save you..._ she clenched a fist tightly and spun around, throwing a fist into empty air as she did so. To everyone's surprise, including Kairi's, Niri's fist connected with the side of her face! Kairi stumbled backwards, a large fist-like imprint on her face, dark bruising already appearing.

Toby's jaw dropped, _No way...! No one's been able to counter, let alone see Kairi using that move! he looked at Niri, What the hell is she?_

"Heh...hehehehehe...," Kairi rubbed her bruised cheek, "That was...quite impressive, Miss Marine, quite impressive indeed. First time I've been hit while using _that_ technique. I don't know exactly what's going through your body right now, but it seems to be giving you your current edge in our battle. However, with your heart beating like crazy like that...that can't be good for your body. I wonder how long you can keep this up before you run out and collapse?"

Niri grinned, "I can last...as long...as I need to!" she beckoned the Blood Countess, "Come and get some, bitch...I ain't done yet!"

"Hmmm," Kairi raised her rapier again, "Let's just see how far you can go, Marine. _Carnal Tempest!_" **(3)** she swung her sword in a swift, fierce motion and seconds later, a great blast of air assaulted Niri head on. For the umpteenth time, she was thrown into the air, but as she flew, dozens, perhaps even hundreds of cuts and gashes appeared on her body, sending her blood flying all around her.

"NIRI!" Axe watched in horror as his childhood friend hit the floor hard, her blood covering even more of her body thanks to her new wounds.

The Blood Countess snorted a little and lowered her rapier. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, as if she were taking in the aroma of something lovely. Smiling slightly, she cracked open an eye, looking right at Niri's battered body.

"Your blood...smells so sweet, Marine. I bet it tastes just as good,"

Niri coughed violently, blood spewing from her mouth, "I've had enough of your bullshit...," she weakly lifted her head, already feeling her strange physical boost being drained from her body, "Stop the charade already, Countess, I've had enough of Axe's lies since this journey began, I won't have any of your own bullshit now!"

Axe frowned, "What's she talking about?"

Toby crossed his arms, "Didn't see this coming...,"

The former Marine staggered to her feet yet again, holding onto the wall for support, "You call yourself a creature of the night...you name your crew after a myth...all of it is just bullshit! You may have powers similiar to them, based off the fairytales, but I know! I know that you, Blood Countess...," she raised a finger, aiming it right at Kairi, "...are not a vampire at all! You're just an ordinary Devil Fruit User!!"

The entire room went silent, the only sound that could be heard was Niri's labored breathing and the dripping of her blood.

Kairi slowly sheathed her rapier, "How-?"

"Did I know?" Niri finished for her, "A friend told me, just before Bird-Boy grabbed me, really. He told me the truth about what happened three years ago! Axe," she looked at Axe, her vision starting to go, "You need to hear this, so listen up!"

Axe just stared, dumbfounded.

"Three years ago, Kairi was bitten by an animal, what you and the others thought was a bat," Niri panted, "It's true, she _did_ get bitten by a bat, but shortly after, when she began to get more violent and actually started to show characteristics of a vampire, it wasn't the bat bite that was causing her behavior. She had recently eaten a Devil Fruit that forces her to take blood, animal or other to survive. She was new to that power, and the bloodbaths she caused before taking over was just out of her control," she shook her head, "She's no vampire, Axe, far from it! She's just like you, just like Kirsty, and Dusty and DJ! She's a Devil Fruit User, which means that you can beat her, you know how, you have the means to do it!"

A light clapping was heard. Niri growled and turned to Kairi, who was enjoying the show, apparently.

"I'm impressed my old friend was able to discover _that_ bit of information. It's true, I _did_ eat a Devil Fruit, but I had no idea that it was a Devil Fruit at the time. It wasn't until shortly after I took over the crew that I found myself unable to swim that I realized the truth. Toby saved me from a watery grave, and from that moment on, I knew what I was. However, playing on the fear and ignorance of most people in this world, I took up the role of _vampyr_, which added considerable fear and reputation to me and our crew. The day I ate the _Sang Sang no Mi_ **(4)**, I became something entirely different than from what I once was...strong! My Devil Fruit, while it does require me to consume blood in order to keep standing, it actually allows me to become stronger by feeding off my victims. Yes, I do drink to sustain myself, but the more blood I drink, and even the type of blood I drink, it increases my power to unbelievable limits!" she raised her arms, as if to show something magnificent, "I'm far more powerful than I have ever been, and I have proven that over and over again on these chaotic oceans! What do you two have to say to that?"

Niri stumbled a little, her vision starting to go more quickly, "I dunno...about Axe...but here's what I have to say," she grunted and stood as still as possible, "You...are nothing special. You will get your ass kicked and you'll see what real pirates with real strength are capable of!"

With that, Niri let out one last gasp, then fell face foward onto the stone floor, her blood pooling around her.

Kairi looked down at the Marine and scoffed, "Says you, someone who couldn't even injure me properly," she walked over to her and picked her up by her ripped top, "You may have lay quite a few blows on me, Marine, but in truth, I hardly felt a thing. I've faced all kinds opponents, some strong and some weak," she turned around to Axe, hauling Niri up in front of her, "If either of you thought that I could be beaten just because you gained a small boost of speed and strength, even when a certain rock-headed fool couldn't beat me...," she shook her head, "...then you two belong to each other. Which reminds me," she focused her attention more on Axe, "I recognize the looks you were giving her during our scuffle, Axe. I know those looks all too well. You gave me those looks once upon a time, though they were in different forms and situations, I know them all too well,"

Axe looked right ahead at her, "If I had known what you would become, I never would have-,"

"Oh, don't give me that bullshit, Axe!" Kairi cut him off, taking a very tight hold on Niri's shoulder, the Marine's head rolling to the side, "You're just as much as a bloodthirsty killer as I am! You went up against the Government, and you killed a lot of people, people with families!"

"I didn't butcher them or drink their blood!" Axe shouted, "I did what I had to do, because-!"

"Because you had your reasons!" Kairi snapped, gripping tighter on Niri's injured body, "Even if I hadn't become what I am now, you would've learned the truth sooner or later, and then it would be in that position, not you! Still, the past is past," she looked down at Niri, "The looks you gave her...she gave you the same ones. I caught them throughout the fight, she shares the same feelings as you,"

_If I could just get out off this cross, I'd kick that smug look and her head right off!_

"Who knows what she could've been able to do, had I not come that day," Kairi said in a quiet, calm voice as she tore the rest of Niri's bandages off, causing more of her blood to come from the wound, "You both think I came there, looking for information on you, Axe, but the truth is, I wasn't,"

"Then who _were_ you looking for?"

"I'm afraid that's none of your business,"

"THE HELL IT AIN'T MY BUSINESS!!!" Axe roared, "THAT MAN YOU KILLED...THAT MARINE...HE WAS A FRIEND OF OURS! HE AND HIS NAKAMA SAVED PEOPLE'S LIVES, HE SAVED MY FAMILY'S LIVES!!"

Kairi licked a bit of blood from Niri's wound, "Hmmm, so you have personal feelings towards that kill too, eh?" she looked up a little bit, "Interesting how fate works out, isn't it?" she then moved to Niri's ear, dropping her voice lower, "Can you hear me, Marine? Can you hear the voice of death?"

Niri moaned, but that was all that was heard.

"You can hear me, that's good. I'm happy, because I want to ask you a question," she licked Niri's wound again, the Marine's blood smearing against her lips, "Did you honestly think you were the only one? You think you were the only one who ever had his heart?"

At that moment, just when Axe thought that Kairi couldn't do anything more to him or his nakama...it happened.

Kairi opened her mouth, revealing a pair of small fangs, and latched onto Niri's shoulder wound. The Blood Countess' grip was firm on Niri's body as she began to suck in every drop of blood that flowed from the re-opened wound. She just stood there was Axe stared in silent horror, drinking drop after drop of liquid life force. Even though she was out of it, Niri could feel every bit of pain and she tried to move away, but even if she was conscious, it would prove futil because of Kairi's hold on her.

After what felt like an eternity, Kairi released her jaws and pulled back her head, her lips and chin stained with fresh blood.

"Oooooooooooooooooooooooh yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah," she grinned wickedly, "_That's_ the stuff! I needed that," she then simply threw Niri's unmoving body off to the side and wiped her chin, "We're done here. Take him back to the room, and someone clean up this mess. I don't want our host waking up and finding out we've made a mess of his home. We do not want to be on the bad side of a Shichibukai,"

Axe's cross was lifted off the floor once again and as he was carried off, he tried with every bit of strength he had in him to break free, to go over to Niri who lay motionless on a bloodstained floor.

_**"NIRI!!!"**_

_**

* * *

  
**_

**Kilnorc: ...that is some (BEEP)ED CRAP RIGHT THERE!!! Spend quite a few days figuring this out, so hope you all enjoyed it. I won't be able to post a preview of the next chapter, because I'm not sure what's gonna happen, and because of that, I'm gonna pull an Oda and wait a while before I start writing the next chapter. I know I'm leaving people on a cliffhanger here, but hey, I gave you a surprising, very lengthy chapter here, it drains my creativity generators, okay? I am also aware that there is possibly some conflicting details regarding what you already know about the mutiny and the incident with Niri's imprisonment, but I assure you, it's because there's different points of views and what not. The full explanation will come later on, until then, stay frosty ya'll.**

**(1) Waving of the Colors - Niri performs a set of roundhouse kicks followed by a series of punches and jabs before ending with a drop kick.  
**

**(2)****_ El Baile de la Muerte _** - **Literally means "Dance of Death", Kairi disappears in a blur and with incredible speed, she "dances" around her enemy or enemies, slashing at them from all sides until she finishes and watches them bleed to death from all the wounds she's inflicted on them. **

**(3)********_ Carnal Tempest: _** Kairi unleashes a strong gust of wind that can not only send an enemy flying off their feet, but as they fly, they are cut numerous times by small, nearly invisible airblades. Reference to the second level of Hell, where the lustful are punished.

**(4)_ Sang Sang no Mi_ - Blood Blood Fruit. A mysterious Paramecia-type that bestows the user not only a hunger for blood, but in exchange for blood, it gives them a boost of strength. Not much is known about this Devil Fruit, but what is know is that certain types of blood, like human/Fish-People/Giant, grants the User an added increase in power. Also allows one to smell blood easily as well as hear the heartbeats of those around them. _Sang_ is French for "blood".  
**


	24. Fear Factor

**Fear Factor  
**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece.**

* * *

"...and that's all she wrote,"

**"I see. How did he react to the battle?"**

"It's somewhat hard to describe. I mean, I've seen overcome with rage before and through that rage, I've seen new strength come, but this...this was something else entirely," Eva shook her head as she leaned against the wall of an empty room, Den Den Mushi in her hand, "He was giving off such an aura, or a vibe, whatever you want to call it, it actually made the hairs on my neck stand up. I swear, even though the bonds he has keeping him tied to the cross are supposed to be extremely tough, I honestly think he could have broken out of them if it wasn't for the chains that are wrapped on the outside!"

Jeremiah was quiet for a moment, **"...I see. How interesting. That could be the power within his blood coming to surface, or it could be that power of love many people talk about throughout the world, or...,"**

Eva raised an eyebrow, "Or...?"

**"...it's nothing, Eva, just a theory. I'll have to do some more research before I could be sure. What of the girl?"**

"What about her?" Eva looked across the room, which was the same room where Niri and Kairi had just fought, and stared at Niri's still unmoving body, "She's been down for a good ten minutes, but from what I can see, she's still alive. It's amazing, really, she's actually hanging onto life right now, despite her injuries. Why?"

**"I just have an inquisitive mind, Eva, you know that,"** a tapping could be heard on the other end of the line, **"Hmm...,"**

"...Jeremiah, what's going on? You're not acting like yourself,"

A sigh was heard, **"Call it a battle between a devil and an angel,"**

Eva frowned, "Say what?"

Another sigh, **"Something's developed on this end and after the report you just gave me, the devil and the angel's been in a conflict,"**

"What's the development?"

**"Let's say that I had to pull some strings and say some things in order to help us out in the long run. Angel's trying to cash in on an old favor and the Devil's on the fence,"**

The frown went deeper, "Jeremiah, what the hell?"

**"Just keep an eye on the events over there, Eva. Watch them unfold and report back whenever something major happens,"**

The line went quiet and Eva was left standing there in the blood-stained room with the barely living Marine nearby.

* * *

-Flashback-

_"Chiz, are you sure?"_

_The navigator nodded as she started walking down one of the corridors shown to her and Devon at an intersection, "I'm sure...I may not have Austin's Mantra, but I can feel Azu's mind nearby. He's in a lot of pain, I've got to go get him,"_

_"I'll come with-,"_

_"No," Chizuru cut him off, stopping in her tracks, "You keep going, Devon. I can take care of Azu on my own, you keep your search alone,"_

_"What about the others?"_

_"You mean the enemy?" Chizuru chuckled, "Devon, it's sweet of you to be concerned with my safety, it really is, but I can handle myself just fine. If anything comes at me, I can show them how well I can handle a knife, and if things get out of hand, I can always light them up," she made a small smile, "I'll take care of this, don't worry about me,"_

-End Flashback-

"Man, whoever said there's safety in numbers never met our crew," Devon muttered, walking through one of the dark corridors of the mansion, "We're supposed to find our nakama, kick ass and then leave...but it's getting harder to do so if we keep splitting up like this,". As he made his way through the corridor, the Demon King ignored the whispers and murmurs he heard from nearby Portrait Zombies, although he did occasionally shoot one or two of them a glare that could probably burn a hole through a wall.

_They're not attacking us..._

_'I think they're scared of you...,'_ Thrymr thought aloud, _'Guess we should count this as a blessing, it'll help conserve energy for the battles ahead,'_

_That's a good point. In either case, it feels kind of weird to walk through a hallway filled with dead things._

_'Shouldn't be that much different then sailing around the world with a dead man in your head,'_

_Touche, Thrymr, touche..._

The nittoryu user saw a dull light ahead of him at the end of the corridor and when he arrived at the end, he found himself standing on a wide, stone bridge outside the mansion. Walking to one side and looking down, he saw that he was high above the ground, the bridge he was standing on was connecting one part of the mansion with another part of the mansion that seemed to be miles away on the other side. Devon quickly hocked a loogie, spat it out and watched as it sped through the air and disappeared from sight before it even hit the ground.

"Wow, long way down," Devon shook his head, "Good thing I got wings, huh, Thrymr?"

_'Yeah, but don't go jumping off just because of that, kid,'_

"No shit," Devon cracked his neck, "Awright, let's get cracking. If I'm lucky, I can find Macleod and my brother on the other side,"

His mission set in his mind, Devon began to walk across the stone bridge just as a slight tremor shook said bridge. Coming to a halt, Devon slowly reached down and grabbed the handle of Water Moon, "I got a baaaaaad feeling about this...,"

_'Same here, kid, look sharp, I don't think we're alone!'_

"A-a-a-a-a-a-a-a! Monkey, monkey!" a strange voice cackled, echoing around him.

Devon scowled, "The hell...?"

Another tremor came, this one so much stronger than before, Devon actually had to keep from falling over. The scowl deepened as he pulled Water Moon out of it's sheath, "Okay, we are definitely not alone here...," he looked around, "Come out and show yourself, you coward! Face me like a man, already!"

_'Kid, I don't think that's such a good idea...,'_

"Oh, it's nothing big, Thrymr, I can take care of this before I keep on looking,"

_'Did you feel those tremors, kid? This guy must be pretty big to make shakes like that!'_

"I'll be fine! If it gets so bad I actually fall off the bridge or something, you can just help me out," Devon grinned and grabbed Water Moon with both hands, "Awright, c'mon out, I'm ready for ya, ya bastard!"

"A-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a! If you really want to take me on, then so be it!" a huge shadow shot up in front of Devon from underneath the bridge, "Get ready! Talleran is here!" the gigantic shadow came crashing down onto the bridge right in front of Devon, cackling like before, "A-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a!!!"

_'Oh...**shit**!'_

The shadow, or Talleran, was a gigantic black and yellow striped spider..or at least, he looked like one. Yes, he had eight legs, all of them were black and yellow with stripes, but only the front two had what looked like giant human hands while the back legs didn't. He had an enormous, round body covered in black and yellow circles on his back and a large amount of gauze bandages wrapped around it. Talleran's head, like his hands, didn't look anything like a spider. There was no set of eight giant eyes like a spider's, there were no mandible like a spider's, if anything his head and face looked a lot like a bizarre monkey's face. He had the giant monkey ears, face...strangely enough, he wore a giant leather cap on his head with flaps that ran down the side of his face, a large goggle eyepiece over his left eye.

Devon could only stare, completely paralyzed from head to toe.

_'Devon? DEVON! C'mon, snap out of it man!'_ Thrymr shouted in his head, _'Dammit! This is a **PERFECT** time for your arachnophobia to come in, just perfect! Looks like I'll have to take over to get you moving...,'_

Talleran lumbered over to the scared stiff pirate, a strange look on his face. Scratching his head with one hand, the giant spider monkey poked the pirate with his other massive digits. Since he was so limp and the spider's hands were so large, Devon just fell over like a sack of dirt, eyes glazed over from absolute terror. The Water Moon fell from Devon's now limp hand and clattered loudly to the bridge. Talleran continued to scratch his head; for as long as he could remember, he had always scared "guests" on his master's island, but this was actually the first time he scared anyone to this level of fear.

Thrymr tried to push his way through, tried to take over Devon's body so he could do something, but there was something keeping him out of his long-time companion/vessel.

_'The hell? Why can't I get in?! Don't tell me he's so terrified, I can't get in!'_ Thrymr growled, _'Oh sure, he's on the brink of death, I can step in, when he meets an over-grown spider, I'm locked out!'_

Talleran looked away from the limp pirate to the dropped sword that lay nearby. Scooping it up into his hand, the giant spider monkey looked at it for a moment, shrugged and tossed it right off the side of the bridge.

"Master isn't interested in toys like that, he's only interested in the pirates that come to his island," Talleran's hand hovered over Devon, a strange, yet pretty nasty looking pocket of flesh in the center of his palm, "I'll pack this up one up and send him to Master's chamber so when he wakes up, he can work his powers over him,"

"Like that's gonna happen!"

"Ah?" Talleran scuttled around to face the source of the new voice.

_"Sonu Sonu no Bakuha!!" _**(1)**

A near-invisible blast collided with Talleran with such force, the giant spider monkey was actually pushed off the bridge! Stunned, Talleran tried to grab hold of the bridge to keep from falling off, but he failed and fell all the way down to the ground where he landed on his back, unable to move.

_What...the hell...was that?!_ the spider stared up at the bridge, _I can't get up!_

Jinko of the Dancing Blade walked to the edge of the bridge and looked down at the stunned creature, "Man, I really _hate_ that guy...," she shook her head, "Didn't even use that much power, but at least he'll be stunned long enough for us to get out of here," she turned and walked back to Devon, who was still immobile. She lightly kicked him, "Devon? Yoohoo, Demon King, you okay?"

Devon's head lolled to the side, foam coming out of his mouth from sheer terror.

"Wow, he must've really been spooked by that guy to be like this. I'm sorry I couldn't save your blade, Demon King, but at least I was able to save you," she bent down and hauled him to his feet, pulling his arm around her neck, "Come on, walk it off, walk it off. Don't worry, giant evil spider's gone, you're safe now, let's go walk it off and find your nakama...,"

Thrymr sighed, _'Lucky for us she came around...but man, is he gonna be pissed when he regains actual consciousness and finds out the Water Moon's been lost. Oh well, we know where it fell, we can look for it when he's up and moving around...,'_

_

* * *

_

_Strange, my Mantra's not acting up now..._ Austin hid within a shadowy alcove, _Tiamat's Fang_ once again in it's sheath, _I can feel them now. In fact, I can feel a lot more people! The others must have finally come to take the fight to Kairi when DJ and I didn't show up! But, there's way too many new people to be just my nakama...they're familiar, but I can't quite place them right now. Damn!_ he sighed and pushed off the alcove, I can't stick around here,_ I need to find the others so we can get the hell out of here!_

Quickly and as quietly as possible, Austin took off down another path, a number of objectives set in his mind: find nakama, find his Dials and gear, and then get the hell off the island!

As he made his way to whom he believed to be his nakama, another "voice" was heard in his head thanks to his Mantra. Coming to a stop, Austin waited and watched as the "voice" came closer and closer to him at a surprising rate. He narrowed his eyes and reached up to grab his new sword, Looks like even the lower members of her crew are good at tracking people... he took a deep breath and slowly turned around, eyes focused on the other end of the dark corridor.

_Come and get me, you little dumbass. Just come and get me, I'm ready for ya!_

Footsteps were soon heard echoing from the other end of the hallway. Austin pulled Tiamat's Fang from his back and waited as the footsteps just kept coming closer and closer, getting louder with each passing second. A small figure came out from the shadows and came to a stop a few yards in front of the mute cabin boy. It was Tobias, the lonely member of Kairi's crew, and he was holding onto Austin's pack and even his hoverboard.

"_There_ you are!" Tobias panted, holding up Austin's belongings, "Look! I found these for you! Damien gave me the board, and I had to go into the captain's room to get your pack, but it's okay, because I don't think she'd care if I took 'em or not. Besides, she wasn't there when I went looking around, so I figured it'd be as good as time as ever...," he threw Austin's pack and slid the hoveboard across the way, both items landing/stopping at Austin's feet.

Austin glanced down at his stuff and while he kept his eyes on Tobias, he knelt down to check to see if anything was missing. He only took his eyes off the other boy a few times, but looking through his recovered pack, he saw that everything he had was still there: the burn blade, his gloves, his other collection of dials, everything! The cabin boy closed his pack and rose to his feet, looking at Tobias again.

The youngest Bloodless Vampire cleared his throat and stuffed his hands into his pockets, "Listen, I know I got to meet ya and introduced myself on the wrong foot, and I know I'm not in the best of company, but I hope that we can still be friends," he grinned hopefully, nodding to the gear, "See? I brought those as a friendship gift to you, so can we be friends? Huh, can we? Please? C'mon, we'll have a great time, we'll be really close friends...,"

Austin couldn't help but feel a mixture of pity and anger for Tobias. As the boy went on and on about them being friends, Austin's mixed feelings grew and grew, especially his anger. A large vein began to throb on his forehead while he clenched his empty hand into a fist. He could relate to Tobias being lonely, he really could, since he went through that thing himself when it was just him and his brother right after their mother was killed. Yes, he loved his brother dearly, but it was a rare occasion that he could have someone else to call a friend. But to be so desperate for a friend that bribing them...that was really,_ really_ sad.

"...and when the others are off killing, you can just stay with me on the ship, we can play tag, we can throw darts, we can have mock battles and we can just have eating contests and stuff!" Tobias was still going, "Hell, if you want, we can even get Dicey to turn us both into werewolves, so we can go around like dogs and just chase people, running around until we get so tired, we just crash and-,"

**"OH FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, SHUT THE FUCK UP, YOU LITTLE PIECE OF SHIT!!!"**

Tobias stopped talking immediately, his mouth hanging open and his eyes wide as he stared at a seething Austin, who was looking really mad right now. He blinked, "Y-You...can talk?"

**"YES, I CAN TALK YOU LITTLE DIPSHIT!"** Austin screamed, his face red as a tomato, **"WHAT KIND OF LOSER _BEGS_ FOR FRIENDSHIP?! I** D**ON'T CARE IF YOU'RE PART OF A HOMICIDAL CREW, IF YOU WANT FRIENDS, YOU GOTTA WORK FOR IT, YOU CAN'T JUST GO BEGGING AND BRIBING SOMEONE TO BE YOUR FRIEND! I DON'T CARE IF YOU'VE HAVE A FUCKED UP LIFE, YOU BASTARD, THAT'S NOT HOW YOU GO THROUGH LIFE! IF SOMETHING SHITTY HAPPENS, YOU WORK WITH IT!!!"** he breathed heavily, his shoulders moving up and down, **"NOW, YOU GET THIS THROUGH YOUR THICK SKULL: I AM NOT GONNA BE YOUR FRIEND, I'M NOT GONNA BE YOUR PAL, I'M NOT EVEN GONNA BE YOUR FUCKING WINGMAN! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?! NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO, NO MATTER WHAT YOU SAY AND NO MATTER WHAT YOU TRY TO GIVE ME, I'M NOT GONNA SUDDENLY BECOME YOUR BEST FRIEND, SO JUST FUCKING QUIT IT, ALRIGHT?!"**

The entire corridor became silent as death itself, save for Austin's heavy breathing.

Tobias lowered his head, "...I don't understand...I really don't. I...I only wanted to be your friend. I only wanted someone to play with, someone around my own age, someone to play games with. I treated you nicely, I gave your things back...,"

Austin snorted, "Look, I really appreciate you did that for me, I really do, but-,"

The other young boy pulled his arms out from behind his back and held up what looked like a collection of wicked looking throwing darts, "I just...I just wanted to play...wanted a friend...but you couldn't give me_ that_? Alright, if I have to _make_ you be my friend, then that's the road we're going to take!" Tobias lifted his head and glared at Austin, eyes full of anger.

The youngest Axe-Head sighed, "....d'awww, _crap!_"

* * *

"Well, this one's empty...,"

"Looks like it. You know, for a mansion filled with zombies and psychopaths, we sure are coming across a lot of vacant rooms,"

Dusty sighed and plopped down onto an extravagant canopy bed covered with a fair layer of dust. Her landing made said dust rise into the air, and soon enough, she was sent into a sneezing frenzy. Herman rolled his stalks and shook his head, "Okay, you know I love ya and all the others as my nakama, but for the love of all things under the sun, learn not to give yourself away, Dusty! That's what keeps getting you captured by enemies!"

"What are you talking about-ACHOO!?" Dusty sneezed a hard one and held her head, "Oh wow, okay that hurt my brain,"

"Is that even possible?"

"Shaddup," Dusty sniffed and held her nose, "Okay...last one...,"

_Somehow I doubt that..._ Herman looked around the room. It was a lovely room, despite the location and the condition it was in. A large, comfortable looking bed, fine wooden furniture lining the walls, and even a large window with a balcony could be seen right across from the bedroom door. He scratched his head, _I bet if this place wasn't home to a bunch of evil pirates and freaks, it would make a killing in the spooky hotel racket! It's got everything, dark mist, spooky forest and even a graveyard! Seriously, just needs a change in management, some basic cleaning services and you got yourself a hotel. Needs some creepy staff too, _he rubbed his chin_, I bet if I told Azu about this sort of thing, he'd have women in skimpy maid's uniforms, the pervert. Still, sex appeal does seem to do well for businesses, so who knows?_

"What are ya thinking about, Herman?"

"Hm?" the Fish-Man turned his stalks around to see Dusty standing behind him, fiddling with her pack, "Just random things. You ready to head out?"

Dusty sighed and nodded, "Yeah. The sooner we find someone, the sooner we can kick ass and get the hell out of here," she scratched the back of her head, "How much you wanna bet the next room we look into is empty?"

"Hmm...50,000 Beli?"

"You're on,"

Herman couldn't help but grin, _Strange that no matter what we all go through, even the darkest events and situations, we all somehow manage to find the light of humor..._

"Waddya grinning for?"

"Nothing," Herman turned and headed for the door, "C'mon, let's get-,"

The Fish-Man was suddenly cut off as a large, black form rocketed through the doorway, plowing into his chest. Herman flew into some of the nearby furniture, shattering them on impact. Dusty didn't even have enough time to wonder what the form was, because the moment after Herman smashed the furniture, she felt something sharp dig into both of her shoulders before being lifted off the floor. It was happening so fast, everything looked like a blur, but even Dusty managed to get a glimpse of what was happening. One second, she was standing in a vacant bedroom with Herman, the next second she was rising into the air.

What the hell?! the miko snapped her head up to see a large black bird flapping it's powerful wings. The bird looked down at the kitsune, it's dark, brown orbs looking straight into her eyes as a smile seemed to creep onto it's beak.

Dusty grit her teeth, "Aw, dammit, you're one of them, aren't ya?!" she reached up and grabbed the raven's legs, "Put me down, you giant rat with wings, or I'm gonna rip you limb from limb!"

Damien laughed as he flew around the top of the mansion, his talons digging into Dusty's shoulder, "You and your Marine friend have the common trait of talking big, don't you?"

"Huh?!" Dusty looked up again, "Marine? You mean...you bastard, what the hell have you done with Niri?!"

"I think a more appropriate question is what I'm going to do to _you_," Damien replied loudly, tightening his grip on the miko pirate, "To tell the truth, all I've been doing is acting as spy or delivery boy almost the entire time we've been here, so I'm really going to enjoy playing with you,"

"Play with _this_, you sonofabitch!" Dusty pulled one of her scythes out and swung upward, slicing Damien across his body. The Zoan let out a sharp yelp and instantly released Dusty from his grip. The kitsune screamed as she fell through the air before crashing into the roof of the mansion. She not only made a crash landing, but she hit the roof so hard, she acted like a stone that was thrown across a still lake, bouncing a few times every few feet before rolling to a stop.

Damien descended, transforming into his human form just before touching the roof. Wincing, he held a shallow gash cut into his leather shirt and his lower torso. It was bleeding, but it wasn't that much of a wound, he would be able to still move around and have his fun since he had suffered worse injuries during his days as a Marine. Growling, Damien pulled off a large duffel bag he was carrying on his back, then pulled his ruined shirt off his body and threw it to the side, showing an impressive six pack and well muscled arms.

"You ruined my favorite shirt!"

Dusty sat up, wincing as her shoulders bled from the talon wounds, "Oh gee, I'm _so_ sorry...frickin' bastard...,"

* * *

"You know, you have been a major pain in my ass. You have any idea how long I've been looking for you?"

"Heh...I'm surprised you even had time searching, what with all the sneaking you've been doing through Master's treasure vault,"

Taeko grinned as he looked around the interior of a giant clock that was a part of the mansion, "I have to admit, for a dead person, you have good taste in hideouts. But then again," he glanced at the figure standing across from him, "That could just be myself. You are my shadow, after all,"

The zombie chuckled softly, "Not anymore, thief, I belong to Moria-sama,"

"And that, is what is so wrong with this whole thing...," Taeko muttered, scratching his head, "Okay, I gotta ask. You got a name?"

"Tick Tock,"

Taeko frowned, "Tick Tock?" he raised an eyebrow, "You ain't gonna blow up, are ya?"

Again, the zombie chuckled as it withdrew a large staff from the shadows behind her, "No, I'm not,"

"Good," Taeko reached behind him and pulled out a much smaller staff he kept tucked behind him in his clothing. It was a pretty small staff, with what looked like a metal hook on the tip of it. Taeko pressed a hidden button on the shaft and with a flick of his wrist, the staff extended to roughly match the size of the staff his zombie had in her hand. With a staff in one hand, Taeko reached into the front of his outfit and pulled out what looked like a mask of some kind. It looked like the face of a jackal, but on the outer edges of the jackal's face was a headdress of some kind. Taeko slid it over his face and gripped his staff, staring straight at his zombie.

"I don't see the point in that," she scoffed, "I already know what you look like, thief,"

Now it was Taeko's time to chuckle, the mask muffling the laughter a little, "It's not just a mask to hide my true identity," he spun his staff around in a beautiful, fluid motion before stopping it, hook aimed straight at the zombie, "It's a _symbol_. Now, c'mon and let's get this over with, I got treasure to steal!"

* * *

**Kilnorc: Awww man, that was a rough one. As you can see, I'm setting up the first few major fights of Endless Nightmare, so we have a few fights already lined up. I had quite a bit of difficulty with this chapter, because I had to come to a decision of Devon losing his precious Water Moon blade, Austin FINALLY talking for like the first time in the entire CotA series (if you don't count that non-canon X-Mas fic I did last year...), and so many other stuff. I'm going to do my very best with these and other fights, and I know many people have faith in me, but I can't help but feel that I might screw something up in something as major as this, which I hope I don't. Well, I'm just gonna do what I can and pray for a good outcome, lawl.**

**(1) Sonu Sonu no Bakuha - Literally, "Sound Sound Blast." Jinko blasts the opponent with a concentrated blast of sound.**

**On the next chapter of Endless Nightmare...**

**Taeko: Speed and agility are the same! Looks like they were telling the truth.  
**

**Tick Tock: You shouldn't have come back...  
**

**??: This is the Code, Taeko, this is our Law.**

**??: So how about it? Wanna join up?  
**

**Clock Tower Brawl! Part One**

**Taeko: I'll show you the _real_ way to fight with a staff!  
**


	25. Clock Tower Brawl! Part One

**Clock Tower Brawl! Part One**

**Taeko, the Honorable Thief**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece. Taeko and "Tick Tock" belong to Crazy-Fishie.**

**Kilnorc: Hello everyone, I'm back with another update of my surprisingly (and so far) successful Thriller Bark arc. I've decided to do something a little different with certain chapters, much like my friend Shidyk D. Shade does with Rayo's Journal Entries, something that he sort of got from BLEACH. I won't do journal entries, but quotes that I see fit that would fit the chapter/battle chapter. What made me think of this, you may ask? An excellent crime drama I watch that have interesting quotes that seem to fit every episode.**

**Axe: What show's that?**

**Kilnorc: Criminal Minds. Good show, now on with the fic! Let's start with the first quote!**

* * *

**_"Even a thief takes ten years to learn his trade"_ - Japanese proverb**

Taeko stared at the zombie that stood in front of him. She was not exactly a normal looking zombie, that's for sure. Yes, she had rotting decaying flesh that was stitched together, but unlike many of the zombies he had seen on Thriller Bark, Tick Tock had green skin that had a few brown patches of skin sewn together in various places. She had a pair of cold, grey eyes, a head of short, dark green hair and even wore a bronze-colored ensemble of boots, a hat, a corset and skirt...all of which seemed to have been covered in cogs and gears. Speaking of cogs and gears, Tick Tock had a large gear sticking out of her back.

"So...should we get started?"

"The hell do you think?"

Taeko couldn't help but grin at his zombie's reply. The two of them looked at each other for a few moments longer before darting from their spots and colliding into one another, their staves clacking loudly as they tried to overpower one another.

"Not bad," the thief nodded a little bit, "Not bad at all,"

"Thanks. Wish I could say the same for you!" Tick Tock hissed before suddenly pushing Taeko off her own staff before taking a low swing aimed for his legs.

_Crap! _Taeko jumped back to avoid the attack.

Tick Tock grinned, Fool... she pushed off the floor and leapt straight at Taeko, aiming her staff right at his stomach.

_Double crap!_ Taeko saw the attack coming at the last second and barely managed to turn in mid-air in order to avoid the attack. He landed roughly on his feet and hopped back, stunned at his zombie's abilities. Stunned, but not entirely surprised. He gripped his staff and scowled behind his mask, _Speed and agility are the same! Looks like they were telling the truth._

-Flashback-

_"I'm giving you all one last chance to cut me down from here, or else I'm gonna kick your asses, each and everyone one of you!" Taeko shouted as he trashed around, hanging from the ceiling with Spider-Mice webs, "I'm not kidding around, bastards!"_

_"Fosfosfos!!" Hogback roared with laughter as more zombies carried in another casket, this one closed, "You got quite a bit of energy in you, don't you?" he turned to a very large figure in front of them, "Moria-sama, I'm sure you can have a lot of use with this one's shadow,"_

_"Kishishishishishi!" the figure laughed as a bright light flashed on behind Taeko, forcing him to cast a long shadow in between them and the huge Shichibukai.  
_

_Taeko growled and kept trashing, "I don't care what you are, you're dead if you don't let me go!" he glared down at Hogback, "What the hell you all want with my shadow, anyway?!"_

_Hogback chuckled, "I suppose there's no harm in telling you, since there's nothing you can do about it. With your shadow, Moria-sama will be able to make the corpses of strong warriors that I created into stronger soldiers for his zombie army!" he poked Taeko roughly through the webbing, "Since you'll most likely lose consciousness when he plucks it off of you, I'll tell you how this works. Moria-sama takes your shadow, puts it into a corpse and that corpse comes to life! It'll mimic your behavior, your talents, and your abilities!"_

_"Kishishishishi! Let's get this over with, already!"_

-End Flashback-

_So, I guess since she's my zombie and she's got my shadow..._ Taeko ducked under a hard strike and countered with a swipe of his own, which Tick Tock dodged rather easily,_ She'll also know how to do my technique set...knowing what I know and after seeing some of it in action, I wouldn't be surprised if she stole some stuff from this place like I did awhile ag-OH SHIT!_ Taeko quickly pressed another hidden button on his staff and thrust his weapon upward. The hook attachment suddenly detached itself from the shaft and shot into the air, grappling onto something. Taeko pressed the button again and reeled himself into the air just as Tick Tock came at him with a powerful looking combo.

_That was close..._ Taeko swung himself onto a wooden ledge of the clock tower, partially hidden by the cogs and gears that filled the area, _Glad I still have my staff. Then again, if I didn't, I'd go berserk on these freaks!_

Tick Tock looked up at the cogs and gears above her, scanning the area for Taeko, who was crouching behind one to avoid being noticed. The zombie slowly moved around the lower area, "You shouldn't have come back, thief. Moria-sama was gracious enough to let you live, and you spit in his face by coming back. That was a foolish mistake,"

Taeko scampered along the ledge he was on, "_Live?_ How can a guy live without his shadow? How can someone be forced to live in darkness all the time?!" he demanded, "Answer me _that_, zombie girl!"

Tick Tock laughed, "Don't all thieves live in darkness? They work in the shadows of the world, they stalk their marks along the alleyways and streets of cities...the darkness is their home!"

The mask wearing thief grit his teeth, _You have no idea...!_

"They prey on the weak, they creep from the shadows and slit the throats of their victims," Tick Tock added, "You're all the same!"

"Stop talking about that shit!" Taeko shouted from his hiding place, "How can you be my shadow and not remember the honor we have, the Code we follow?! If you're really my shadow, then remember! Remember home, remember Bandit's Keep!"

-Flashback-

**_How the hell does that undead bitch not remember what I...what we, had to go through! I was alone at such a young age, I would've died if it wasn't for the Code!_**

_"Where's your family, Little One?"_

_Taeko turned and looked up to see a kind woman kneeling down in front of him, smiling warmly. He rubbed his arm and looked off to the side, his face smudged with dirt and grime, "They're gone...,"_

_"Gone?" the woman tilted her head, "What do you mean?"_

_"Gone, as in dead," Taeko said bitterly, "I'm an orphan,"_

_"Aw...," the woman reached out and pulled a surprised Taeko into a tight hug, "Not anymore. You're coming home with me to mee the rest of your new family, right now!"_

**_My birth parents had left the world of the living and left me an orphan, all alone on the streets of Bandit's Keep. I probably would've been killed or died of hunger in any other place, but Bandit's Keep had a special Code that all inhabitants were meant to follow. I later found out my new step-mother's name was Forta, and she had a family: a grandfather called Hakiem, her son Kenton and her daughter Maya. As time passed by, she met and married a man named Barry and had two more daughters, Kita and Anika. They were the only biological offspring Forta and Barry had, the rest of us were adopted. I stayed with them from that day, but I was still so young, I didn't understand why they did take me in...until my new grandfather told me the reason._**

_"You wanted to see me, ojii-san?"_

_Hakiem, an older man in his fifties, beckoned Taeko to him, "I did, I did, Taeko. Come and keep an old man company," he waited as Taeko stopped just a few inches away from him, "How are you liking your new family?"_

_Taeko shrugged, "They're alright...I'm just glad I'm not in the gutter somewhere,"_

_The old man laughed, "So young, yet knows many possiblities of the world,"_

_"I don't get it, ojii-san," Taeko put his hands behind his head, "I keep asking the others why Forta pulled me off the streets, but no one will tell me! It's kinda pissing me off!"_

_Hakiem grinned, "Got a mouth on you, too. Well," he cleared his throat, "The reason Forta saved you and brought you into our family is because it's the law,"_

_Taeko raised an eyebrow, "The law?"_

_"Despite your age, you still don't know the Law," Hakiem shook his head, "Well, no time like the present, hm?" he reached over and opened a small chest, pulling out a scroll, "This is our Code, Taeko, this is our Law," he tossed the scroll to the young boy. Taeko quickly caught it and looked up at his adoptive grandfather, "...now what?"_

_"Open it up," Hakiem urged, "What else do you do with a scroll?"_

_"Alright, alright, don't have a stroke on me, ojii-san," Taeko slowly unfurled the scroll to see a simple set of sentences written in fading ink._

**CODE OF BANDIT'S KEEP  
**

**ABSOLUTE LAW AMONGST THIEVES**

**1) Help those incapable of helping themselves**

**2) Whatever is taken, can make it's way back**

**3) Do not take what cannot be returned.**

_Hakiem nodded slowly, "This is our Code. Everyone on this, our island of thieves, follows this, for it's our absolute law we must live by. That is the reason why you were adopted by Forta and this family, Taeko, because of this code. As you grow older, you'll understand how important this Code is to all of us, and if you follow them like we do, you'll become a good man,"_

-End Flashback-

_That Code stays with all of us, and it's stuck with me all these years,_ Taeko looked around a large bunch of gears to watch Tick Tock slowly make her way around the interior of the clocktower, _**'Help those incapable of helping themselves'**, I got that down more than once...hell, I did that just by freeing and arming that mute pirate kid awhile ago. **'Whatever is taken, can make it's way back'**, that's usually true with material things, but looks like I'll have to test that with my shadow being stolen from me. Finally, **'Do not take what cannot be returned'**..._ Taeko sighed quietly and gripped his staff, _These Bloodless Vampires make me sick! I can go around stealing stuff too, that's easy, but I never take the lives of innocents! Maybe I'll do those kids a favor and help take a few of them down when I'm done with this._

Taeko scanned the clock tower to find Tick Tock was missing, "Hey, where the hell she go?" he murmured to himself.

"Right here!" a cold hiss reached his ears just before a sharp pain, followed by a bright flash in his eyes, filled his senses. Yelping, Taeko flew into the air, hung there a few seconds, then came crashing down onto the ledges as Tick Tock flipped herself onto said ledge, grinning from ear to ear, "You left yourself open, thief,"

Still seeing stars, Taeko staggered to his feet, feeling a great pain in his head. A light cracking sound was heard and the next thing Taeko knew, his mask fell to his feet, split into two pieces. He reached up and felt something warm and sticky on his forehead. Pulling his hand down, he saw that his fingers were covered in blood, which was now trickling down his face.

"You fuckin' blind-sided me, you undead bitch!"

Tick Tock giggled and spun her staff around, "I wouldn't call it 'blind-siding', I'd call it 'seeing an opening and taking it'...," she glanced down at the broken mask, "Oh, and I'm _very_ sorry for breaking that," she added, sarcasm dripping off every word.

Taeko glared at her as blood continued to trickle down his face, "I got more. Still, little surprised you actually did that," he scowled, "Even if you're an undead bitch, you're still my shadow and you should still remember what that mask means!"

Tick Tock raised an eyebrow, "Oh really? Why should I? More importantly, why should I even care?"

"I'll tell you why...,"

-Flashback-

**_"It was during and after that whole 'marriage' bullcrap that Noir got roped into, remember? Her nakama asked us to help them, but we would only do it if we got paid. You were there with me every step of the way! You were with me when we fought, you were there when we ran, when we hid, everything! You were even there when they asked us to become one of them!"_**

_Taeko groaned as he took a seat, still feeling banged up from the confrontation he and the others had to go through. He was sore, but more importantly, he was paid. Grinning, he reached over and opened up the suitcase filled with Beli dollars, "Hello there, beautiful,"_

_"People see you talking to money, they're gonna think you're crazy," a voice chuckled softly behind him._

_"If they think I'm crazy, then they think I'm crazy, not like I give a rat's ass about that or them," Taeko turned to see a beautiful young woman with long, white hair, "Hey, Noir,"_

_"Hey, yourself," Noir plopped down next to him, looking up at the sky, "So, you all were able to pull it off, hm?"_

_Taeko nodded as he counted the money, "Yep. Told you those guys would come through for you. I just showed them the way. So, tell me," he glanced at her, "You're no longer forced to marry anyone, you got yourself a decent group of friends over there," he jerked a thumb to a large group of people behind them, "Tell your big black friend over there that if she tosses me into a tower window again, I'll make her life a living hell!"_

_Noir laughed, "Kameki was only helping from what I hear, she meant well,"_

_"I don't care, she could've broken my damn neck!" Taeko rubbed said body part, "Shit...,"_

_Noir gave him a nudge, "So, where are you going to do now?_

_"Pfft," Taeko shrugged, "Do what I always do: wander around, steal stuff, run like hell,"_

_"Huh. Well, how about something better than just running around alone like that?"_

_"What the hell are you talking about?"_

_Noir grinned and wrapped her arm around Taeko's shoulder, pulling the thief close to her, "Here's the deal: Kagura, Isaac, Mary, Kameki, Eric, Aka and I are gonna split apart from the Red River Pirates and become our own crew. We could use a scout and with you're thief talents, you'd be a great asset to us?"_

_Taeko cleared his throat and pulled free of Noir's grip, "You want me to become a pirate?"_

_"Mhm,"_

_Taeko looked back at the group, spotting the people she had mentioned a short time before. He saw Kameki, the rather tall, dark skinned woman, Isaac and his sister Mary, a cute blonde girl with a bizarre birth mark on her face, Veda D. Kagura, a woman who ate the Kanga Kanga no Mi, Aka the red-head with tribal tattoos, Doc, who was an okama gunslinger with a pair of wings growing out of his back, and finally Eric, another blonde male with pale skin and dark rings under his eyes._

_"Interesting group, I'll give 'em that," Taeko went back to counting his money, "You honestly think you guys can survive the Grand Line?"_

_"Hey, you were the one who told met to have faith in my nakama when you came to me, and I do. Besides, we're already in the second half of the Grand Line, the New World! I think we can handle it," Noir slapped him upside the head, "We're gonna go across this world and see tons of stuff," she inched herself closer to him, "I bet there's just tons of treasure out there, waiting to be looted....,"_

_Taeko momentarily stopped counting his money, then started counting again, "...good treasure?"_

_"Oh, I'm sure of it!" Noir gave a sharp nod, "The legendary treasure of Captain John, Gold Roger's almighty One Piece...HELL, I even heard there's an island in the sky with a City of Gold just waiting for people to come find it! So, how about it? Wanna join up?"  
_

_Taeko had stopped counting since she mentioned Captain John. He cleared his throat, placed the money back into the suitcase, closed it and rose to his feet, "You guys are useless without me, ya know that?" he shook his head and started to head back to the others, "I'm coming, but only to help you all out and keep you all alive!"_

_Noir laughed, "Suuuuuure,"_

-End Flashback-

"Don't just stand there and tell me that you don't remember _that_!" Taeko snapped, "Look, even if you have some odd sense of loyalty to the bastard that stole you from me, you and I are meant to be together! From birth to death, that is our journey!"

Tick Tock just stared blankly at him.

"I haven't been gone long, there should be _some_ memories of our time together still with you...," Taeko continued, "Just find them, and you'll know that I'm speaking the truth here. You don't belong here, you belong with me, shadow, and no one else!"

The female zombie slowly lowered her staff.

_There we go!_ Taeko nodded, "Alright, you remember, right?! You _know_ who you belong with!?"

Tick Tock nodded slowly, "Yes...yes, I do,"

_YES! Jackpot!_

The zombie raised her staff and glared at Taeko, "I belong to Moria-sama! I am his soldier, loyal to him and him alone!" she broke into a run, her eyes locked onto Taeko, "I am forever his to command!"

Taeko sighed, "...fine, then. I gave you a chance, now I have no choice,"

Tick Tock suddenly stopped running at Taeko and seconds later, she was sent flying to the bottom floor of the clock tower, creating a large network of cracks as she landed. Taeko slowly walked to the edge of the platform, glaring pure hatred at the zombie that was already climbing to her feet. The green-skinned zombie glared back up at him, "Where'd_ that_ come from?!"

The bleeding thief smirked and hefted his staff over his shoulder, "I guess the time we had together isn't the only thing you can't remember. Strange, since you're supposed to fight like me...oh well, makes me kicking you rotting ass that much easier, and that much more fun. You think that you can kick my ass, zombie girl? Huh? You have no _fuckin'_ idea who you're messing with!"

"I do too, you tattooed asshole! When I get the chance, I'm gonna take this staff of mine and shove it right up your ass!!"

"Hehe...is that so? Well, come and try it, then, I'm waiting for ya!" Taeko shot back, "C'mon, I"ll show you the _real_ way to fight with a staff!"

* * *

**Kilnorc: Okay, that chapter's FINALLY done. I spent a few days on this one, talking to Crazy-Fishie about Taeko's past and stuff, so...yeah, here's hoping I did good!**

**On the next chapter of Endless Nightmare...**

**Taeko: I've wasted enough time toying with you. I'm getting my shadow back _now_!**

**Devon: WHERE THE HELL IS MY SWORD?!**

**Tick Tock: How did-?!**

**Hogback: WHAAAAAAAAAAAT?!**

**Clock Tower Brawl! Part Two**

**Austin: JUST HOW MUCH CRAP IS THIS GUY HIDING?!  
**


	26. Clock Tower Brawl! Part Two

**Clock Tower Brawl! Part Two**

**Cirque du Kickass!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or Taeko or Tick Tock. Once again, the last two belong to Crazy-Fishie! Any questions regarding Taeko, where he's from, etc etc, please ask her.**

**Kilnorc: Woot! First half of this battle is done, let's bring it home! if ANYONE is by chance wondering about the last chapter's flashback regarding Taeko's crew, YES, one of his former nakama IS the same Veda D. Kagura that the gang has run into a coupla times in the past.**

* * *

**_"Just because you're a thief, just because you're a liar, doesn't mean you're a murderer," -_ Steve Mottinger**

"So, looks like the whole 'I'm dead, I can't feel any pain thing is true," Taeko mused as he watched Tick Tock dust herself off, "A fall like that would've at least given me a reason to say 'ow', or something,"

"You'd only say that because you're weak," Tick Tock muttered as she cleaned herself, "What's with the talking, I thought you wanted to show me how to really fight with a staff?"

Taeko grinned, "What can I say, I'm lazy? But then, you already know that...,". The tattooed thief suddenly leapt off the platform he was standing on and came down quick and hard on Tick Tock, his staff raised high over his head.

The female zombie quickly rolled out of the way as the staff's head came crashing down onto the floor, sending a bit of dust into the air upon contact.

"If you think you're gonna be able to crack my head open with that thing, then you're gonna have to try harder than that!"

"Oh, I plan to...," Taeko pulled his staff off the ground and darted towards his zombie, spinning his hooked staff, _"Cirque du Thief: 36 Strike Flaminus!"_ **(1)**. As soon as he was in range, Taeko unleashed a rapid flurry of staff strikes and thrusts at Tick Tock. The female zombie actually had to keep on her feet as she backed away, trying to dodge the thief's battle techinque, however it wasn't completely successful: she managed to earn a few blows to her torso and at least one to the leg before she jumped back far enough to avoid the rest of the attack.

Growling, Tick Tock flipped Taeko the bird, turned and bolted. Taeko gave chase, prepared in case she were to suddenly turn back and attack him. But, instead of doing that, Tick Tock launched herself into the air at an angle, meeting the wall in front of her (a good number of feet off the ground), then pushed off said wall and launched herself in another direction before landing on one of the platforms of the clock tower. Taeko glared at her, "Okay, so looks like you got that too," he snorted, "GET DOWN HERE!" **(Author's Note: Mortal Kombat movie reference? MAYBE!)**

"Screw you, thief!" Tick Tock shouted back down at him, "Why don't you come up here and face me like a man!"

"Why don't you?!"

"Because I'm a _woman_!"

"You're a dead woman with a _man's_ shadow!" Taeko shot back, "You're already pissing me off majorly, quit while you're ahead!"

Tick Tock just stuck out her rotting tongue and pulled down an eyelid, "Naah!"

Taeko's eye twitched, "Okay, that's it!"

_She was able to dodge my last technique. Chances are she does remember how to fight like I do,_ Taeko thought as he looked for a way up, _I'll have to be on my toes before I can finish this!_

Tick Tock watched as the tattooed thief scurried about below her, looking for a suitable entry zone. Watching him launch the hook end of his staff, which latched onto a metal bar nearby, Tick Tock backed away a little bit from the edge. Moments later, Taeko practically came flying up to the platform, flipping over the bar and landing on his feet.

"I gotta admit, since we're so alike, I thought you would've made use of the walls like I did,"

Taeko scoffed, "Sure, and leave myself open in mid-air?" he shook his head, "Yeah, right!"

"You're a fool if you think I wouldn't attack you if you took another route!" Tick Tock gripped her staff and leapt at Taeko, _"Cirque du Thief: 12 Strike Maximus!"_ **(2)**

_Aw shit... _Taeko thought just before Tick Tock launched her attack,_ "Cirque du Thief: Stealing the Show!"_ **(3)**

Seconds later, Tick Tock's staff passed straight through Taeko. The zombie watched as Taeko simply dissipated into thin air as she continued on with the rest of her attack. Growling, she pulled her weapon back and looked around, "You can't hide forever, thief!"

"I don't need to hide forever, I just need to hide long enough to gain the advantage in this fight!" Taeko's voice echoed around the clock tower interior, "Don't be surprised, zombie girl, it's what I do, you should know that already!"

The green-skinned zombie grunted, "You're starting to piss me off!"

Higher up, hidden by a mess of cogs and gears, Taeko was trying to think of a plan.

_Shit! That crazy undead bitch is able to do all my moves so far, and she's even able to do them better!_ he gulped, _I'm not even that strong physically, but what she was trying to do, she probably could have blown a hole right through me! What the hell was she when she was still alive?!_

"I don't care if hiding is what you do, thief, you shouldn't be hiding!" Tick Tock called out to the missing rogue, "You're friends are in a lot of trouble here on Thriller Bark. Whether they fall to the Blood Countess or they become victims of Moria-sama, they're running out of time. While you're hiding away, sitting comfortably with _your_ body and life still intact, they're going to go through hell, fighting a futile battle in order to stay alive, only to have it taken away from them! Can you live with the guilt of letting them suffer? Letting them die?"

She grinned to herself, _Bait's set, let's see if he takes it!_

A long moment of silence (save for the noise of churning cogs and gears) came, then Taeko finally shouted a reply.

"If you think I'm gonna abandon my nakama, then you're crazy! I know Isaac can be a major pain in my ass, like a lot of the others in my crew, but he's an asshole worth saving, so if you think for a second that I'm gonna let these bastards have at him without a say in it, then you're as stupid as you are ugly!"

Tick Tock's eye twitched, "You sonofa-!"

"As for these others, these Axe-Head kids, they're fighting their own battles! I won't interfere with them unless I have no other choice but to step into the fray," Taeko continued, "I won't let any of them die, so you can just shut the hell up and get ready to get your ass kicked!"

"I'd _love_ to see you try, you coward!"

Taeko closed his eyes and reached into his clothing, feeling something small and leather, This better work...! he gripped his staff and came out of hiding, looking down at Tick Tock, "I've wasted enough time toying with you. I'm getting my shadow back now!" he jumped off the higher ledge and came speeding down upon Tick Tock, spinning around and around as he fell, _"Cirque du Thief: Big Baton Bash!"_ **(4)**

* * *

**SLAP SLAP SLAP SLAP SLAP**

**POKE POKE POKE POKE POKE**

**SLAP SLAP SLAP SLAP SLAP**

**POKE POKE POKE POKE POKE**

"Wake up already!"

Devon's eyes fluttered open, and the first thing he saw was Jinko right in front of him, holding onto the front of his clothes. He frowned and looked around, "What the hell's going on? What happened?!"

"Good, you're finally up," Jinko released him and rose to her feet, stepping back, "I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever wake up from your phobia induced coma there,"

"Phobia induced...?" Devon rubbed his somewhat swollen head, currently oblivious to what the woman assassin had done to awaken him, "What are you talking ab-?" the memory of the giant spider monkey suddenly came flooding back to him. When it hit him, he shot to his feet, eyes wide as dinner saucers.

"Whoa, easy! Easy, there!" Jinko held up both hands, "Calm down, Demon King, the big ol' nasty spider's gone, okay? You're safe...," she couldn't help but smile a bit, "I never would've guessed the 'almighty Demon King' would be one who suffers from arachnophobia. Then again, I know a guy who freaks out at celery...then again, _you_ don't go around blasting stuff because of it," she watched him try to calm down, "Like I said, you were out for awhile. I'm not sure what time it is, but it's either late afternoon or the early evening in case you're wondering. It's kinda hard to tell on this island. Not to mention lack of clocks in this place,"

Devon looked down at his hip, "WHERE THE HELL IS MY SWORD?! WHERE THE HELL IS THE _WATER MOON_?!"

"Er...," Jinko idly scratched behind her head and looked away, "That sorta got throw off the side of the bridge just after you passed out, Devon," she said slowly, "I'm sorry, but I could only save one of you at the time,"

Devon slowly turned to her, giving off a look that probably would've scared the shit out of anyone else, but Jinko didn't seem phased at all.

She raised an eyebrow, "Hey, I said I was sorry, so don't go giving a girl looks like that! Besides, you're not scaring anyone. You see the looks and stuff I've seen with the people I know, then you'll know what real terror is,"

The Demon King stared at her for another moment, then just fell to his knees, his head hung.

"Aww," Jinko sighed and shook her head, "Look, I said I was sorry, okay? We'll go get it later, I promise. Mind if I ask why you're getting so worked up over a blade?" she asked, tapping her own rapier.

Devon moaned, "...the Water Moon's part of my dream. I want to get both that and the Onimaru blade, and I got really lucky. Just after I joined up with Axe, I found the Water Moon back in my hometown, just sitting there waiting for me. Ever since then, before I even entered the Grand Line, that sword's been at my side, but now that I've lost it...," he clenched his hands into fists and looked up at Jinko, "Don't you have a special thing, Jinko?"

Jinko became quiet and looked down at her rapier.

The Demon King rose to his feet and headed for the door, "I gotta find _Water Moon_! I gotta get my sword back, then I gotta get my nakama, then we gotta get the fuck off this island!"

"Hey, wait a minute, you're not going out there alone, what if you run into that big spider again!?"

* * *

The fight between Taeko and the zombie who had his stolen shadow had gone from simple attacks and dodging to an all out brawling session, so to speak. The living and the dead weren't hiding from each other anymore, they were exchange blows, strikes, every kind of offensive they could launch at one another. They used the same techniques, they used the same tactics, but the results were different. As a corpse resurrected by both Moria and Hogback, Tick Tock was unable to feel pain, which allowed her to keep going despite any attack and injury she might receive. Taeko, on the other hand, was flesh and blood, actually living, and he suffered injuries that gave him grief in this battle.

One of his eyes, after being smashed by the end of Tick Tock's staff, was now closed shut, bleeding and even already swelling up. His left arm was running on fumes, so to speak, after being beaten by the zombie girl's staff and temporarily jammed in between some gears. He would've been stuck in there for the rest of the fight if he hadn't used his own staff to pry himself loose. In addition to those injuries, his clothing hid numerous large bruises he had earned from the hard blows that Tick Tock gave him. Despite the pain however, he pushed himself on, wanting to win, wanting to reclaim his stolen shadow. True, the injuries and lack of one working eye hindered his fighting skill, but that just fueled his inferno of desire to win.

_"Cirque du Thief: 12 Stike Maximus!"_ they screamed as they both launching identical attacks at the same moment. Their staves flew past each other and even knocked each other off their intended targets. A few blows landed on them though, although Tick Tock was just pushed back while Taeko was pushed back and suffering from new injuries. The tattoed thief cried out and hit the ground, coughing up blood from the impact of the blows.

Shit! I dunno if I'm just getting weaker or if she's getting stronger with each attack, but I'm not doing so hot here! he looked back at his zombie, reaching into his clothing again, I gotta end this soon or else I'm fucked!

"I'll admit, even with your injuries, your spirit and will are impressive. However, this ends right now," Tick Tock pointed her staff at the coughing thief, "I won't kill you. If I did, then I'd disappear as well. No, I won't take your life, instead I'll just cut off your hands so you don't go around and perform your trade,"

Taeko coughed again, "You bitch...sparing my life to save your own isn't a reason not to kill. You shouldn't kill,_ period_!"

"Are you telling me you've never killed anyone in your life, thief?" Tick Tock gripped her staff, _"Cirque du Thief: Big Top Brigade-!"_ **(5)**

"What I'm telling you is the Code!" Taeko suddenly rolled over onto his back, pulling something out of the folds of his clothing and threw it at the living corpse. Tick Tock was thrown off guard, she couldn't really see what it was that he threw, nor could she dodge it. The object passed through her undead gums and hit the back of her neck. Thrown into a coughing fit, the zombie had no choice but to swallow the foreign object. She snapped her head up, "What the hell did you just throw at me?!"

Taeko shot a sly grin, "Small pouch of salt, you bitch...," he chuckled a little, "I win!"

Tick Tock's eyes widened, "How did you-?!"

"How did I know about you zombies weakness? That salt can purify you and free the stolen shadows you possess?" Taeko rose to his feet, holding his arm, still grinning, "I picked up that little tidbit from a handful of zombies earlier as I skulked around the mansion. You guys should really keep valuable information to yourself, especially when the enemy is missing and you have no idea where they are.

"You...," Tick Tock began to shake, "...you bastard! You killed me!" she fell onto her side, the large gear clanging loudly on the ground upon impact.

Taeko snorted and staggered to his zombie as she began to shake some more, "No, I didn't. I don't kill. Besides, you're already a chunk of dead stuff. How the hell can I possibly kill anything that's already dead?"

Tick Tock opened her mouth to curse Taeko, but instead, no words came out. She simply stopped moving, her eyes faded into dull nothingness, and a strange black glob rose from her mouth. Taeko waited silently as the glob shot towards him and attached itself to his feet.

Taeko had won his shadow back.

"Nice to have you back, buddy," he winced and picked up his staff, "Let's get the hell out of here, huh? Gotta find Isaac or that White Dragon chick, get 'em to patch me up...," he turned and headed for the clock tower's exit when he noticed something just off to the side. There was a dull glow in the corner, behind a pile of repair equipment. Slowly, he made his way over to investigate and soon enough, he found the source of the glow. There, next to a tiny lit candle that was almost completely out, was a neat, sizeable amount of gold and other treasure.

He couldn't help but grin, "Hello, beautiful...,"

* * *

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" Hogback screeched as one of Perona's ghosts hovered in front of him, "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!"

The ghost waved a little, "I said that Tick Tock was beaten by the thief from before! I saw him finish her off and go after a small bit of treasure she must have stolen from Moria-sama's vault!"

The fat doctor grit his teeth, "That bastard! Tick Tock was a special piece of work for me, and he just does that to her! Wait, how did he know how to beat her?!"

The ghost shrugged, "I heard him say he heard it in passing from other zombies," it bounced a little, "What do we do now? If he knows how to purify the zombies, then the entire army's in jeopardy!"

"The hell it is!" Hogback snapped, a vein twitching just above his shades, "I won't let some thief bastard ruin Moria-sama's plans!"

"What are we gonna do? Have the Generals or Ryuuma go after him?"

Hogback shook his head, "_No_! That's stupid, because if he can purify one, he could purify them all!"

"But Ryuuma could take him out before he even realizes he's there! Besides, for all we know, he's all out of salt!" the ghost pointed out, "Absalom could take care of him, but knowing him, he'd probably blast him to smithereens!"

"Why the hell didn't you just go all 'Negative' on him?!" Hogback roared at the ghost. Letting out a frustrated sigh, the "good doctor" rubbed both his temples, trying to calm himself down and to think straight, "Besides the thief, has any other zombies been purified?"

"No,"

"What about the White Dragon's nakama?"

"The Blood Raven started fighting the fox girl, same thing with the Blood Fist brat and the brat from the Bloodless Vampires,"

"Anything else?"

"The Demon King almost got captured by Talleran. Turns out he's _terrified_ of spiders!" the ghost laughed, "But the assassin woman stepped in and saved him. They're somewhere in the mansion now, hiding,"

"No surprise there," Hogback looked up at the ghost, "What about the Marine girl I heard about? The one that the Blood Countess took care of?"

The ghost acted like it was scratching it's head, "That's a really weird thing,"

"How?"

"She should be dead or close to death by now, but she's not where she was last seen,"

"...what?"

"There's no trace of her. There was no blood trail leading out of the room, there's no footsteps, there's nothing but blood on the floor from where she was last seen. It's like she up and vanished into thin air!"

"Are you sure? Did any of the zombies or Blood Countess' namaka take her?"

The ghost shook it's head vigorously, "Nuh-uh. There's no sign of her anywhere,"

"Well, where the hell is she, it's not like she can just get up and walk out the mansion without attracting attention to herself!"

* * *

"Crap, crap, crap, crap!"

Austin dove to the ground and rolled under a number of playing cards that whizzed overhead, embedding themselves in the stone wall. The young pirate was carrying all his recovered items, but instead of fighting Tobias like he had originally planned, he was on the run as the latter withdrew an arsenal of seemingly harmless game accessories and tried to kill him with them! From very sharp tipped throwing darts to razor-edged playing cards and who knows what else.

The formerly mute cabin boy bolted into a run, looking back to see Tobias run after him, hurling more and more razor cards after him. Cursing, he ducked, dodged and weaved to avoid every incoming missile that came at him. He had to get to a better fighting area, he had to get out of range just long enough to think of a plan on how to take care of this kid. A barrage of darts and razor cards closed in on him, making him curse again and more louder this time.

"JUST HOW MUCH CRAP IS THIS GUY HIDING?!" he turned a corner, trying to keep all his gear from falling off, "THIS IS FRIGGIN' INSANE!!"

* * *

**Kilnorc: Okay, that chapter's finally done. Taeko's got his shadow back and it seems that Austin's have a bit of trouble with Tobias. Let's hope the little guy can come through!**

**(1)**_ **Cirque du Thief: 36 Strike Flaminus** _**-** Taeko delivers a series of strikes that aren't that powerful compared to his other techniques, however their increase in speed makes up for the lack of additional power. Name is a reference to Circus Flaminus in ancient Rome.

**(2)_ Cirque du Thief: 12 Strike Maximus - _**Taeko delivers a series of strikes that are powerful, but not as quick as his Flaminus technique. Name is a reference to Circus Maximus of ancient Rome.

**(3) _Cirque du Thief: Stealing the Show - _**An evasive technique. Usually performed with a decoy, Taeko disappears from sight and uses his thieving skills to buy himself time to hide and think of a new plan.

**(4)_ Cirque du Thief: Big Baton Bash - _**Taeko leaps into the air, spins his staff around as he spins his own body, and lands a hard blow on his enemy's head, causing a decent amount of damage.

**(5)**_** Cirque du Thief: Big Top Brigade - **_Taeko's strongest attack. A series of very powerful jabs, strikes and kicks by Taeko and his staff, dealing massive physical damage that is capable of completely paralyzing an enemy.

**On the next chapter of Endless Nightmare...**

**Austin: He can't have a friend, so he tries to kill? Man, this kid is nutso!**

**Tobias: You have no idea what it's like!**

**Austin: You think you're the only kid in the whole world who's had a shitty life?!**

**Tobias: Is that so much to ask for?  
**

**The Lost Boys**

**Austin: I'm sorry Tobias, but I have a family that needs me!  
**


	27. The Lost Boys

**The Lost Boys**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece.**

* * *

_**"Bitter are the tears of a child: Sweeten them.  
Deep are the thoughts of a child: Quiet them.  
Sharp is the grief of a child: Take it from him.  
Soft is the heart of a child: Do not harden it." - **_**Pamela Glenconner**_**  
**_

"What the hell kind of place is this?!" Austin muttered to himself as he gently closed a door, pressing himself against said door as his gear slid quietly to the floor. He kept the door open just a crack to get a view of the outside, "First we run into zombies, there's mutant mice that act like spiders, there's werewolves, freakish pirates...and this kid, Tobias!" he shook his head slowly, thoughts running through his head, "He's so desperate for a friend, he's willing to do anything to get people to be his friend, except it doesn't work. He can't have a friend, he tries to kill? Man, this kid is nutso!"

The sound of soft footsteps were soon echoing off the stone walls of the mansion. Austin held his breath as Tobias came into view, walking slowly down the hall, a few razor-edged cards in one hand and a few darts in his other hand. The somewhat disturbed boy came to a halt right in front of the door Austin was hiding behind, eyes moving from side to side, searching for the missing Axe-Head child.

"Austin, please come out," he called out quietly, "I really want to be your friend, I really do. Because of that, I don't want to hurt you, but I will if I have to. Just come out, please...we can play games while the adults are out trying to kill each other?"

_Yep, nutso alright..._ Austin rolled his eyes, _I gotta take care of this lunatic, but I can relate to him in a few ways, and I can tell he's not like the other bastards of this crew, so I don't want to kill him. Dammit, what am I gonna do?_ he glanced at the weapons the boy held onto, _He's had some experience using those in battle, and no doubt working with this crew, he's seen some nasty stuff up close. He's no greenhorn to blood and battle, I'll give him that, but I come from a strong warrior bloodline...I should be okay._

"There you are...,"

Austin's eyes widened just as something crossed his mind. Cursing, he grabbed his gear and dove off to the side. He barely had time to cover his head as a bright flash and a loud explosion shook the room, blasting the door clear off it's hinges and flying to the wall opposite of it.

Holy shit! Austin looked back to the smoking doorway as Tobias stepped into the room, juggling something in his hand.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, are you trying to kill me or something?!" Austin screamed as he rolled onto his back, before realizing what he said, "On second that, don't answer that...,"

* * *

"What the hell was that?" Eliza looked up at the ceiling as a slight rumble was felt in the lab, "What's going on?"

"Looks like your friends are finally engaging the enemy," Hogback mused before turning to her, "If you wish to continue your work, I suggest you move her!"

Eliza nodded, "That seems like the best choice. I don't want something to screw up my little study here," she glanced down at the still immoblized White Dragon, "I've made some interesting discoveries, I don't want anything to hinder it. I'll get Stitches to help me move her to the ship," she began to pack up her notes, "You all have a fun time with her nakama,"

"Fosfosfos!" Hogback laughed as another blast shook the lab again, "Dammit! I don't know who the hell is doing that, but if they don't knock it off, they'll wake up Moria-sama!"

* * *

"Hold still, Blood Fist!"

"What, so you can blow me up or cut me?!" Austin flipped him the bird, "Up yours, you psychotic asshole! What the hell is going through that screwed up brain of yours, huh?! First, you beg for friends, then you snap when you can't have them, and then you try to waste them just because you can't have any! Seriously, what the fuck, man?!"

Tobias stopped juggling a handful of specially made dice and clenched his hand tightly around them, "You have no idea what's it like!"

Austin blinked a few times, "Say _what_?"

The other cabin boy growled as he walked forward a few steps, passing a smoldering section of the corridor the two of them shared, no doubt having suffered an explosive fate thanks to his dice, "You have no idea what it's like to be alone like I do, Austin! You may think with the crew I'm with, I have plenty of friends, but let me tell you something, that is dead wrong! I have no friends of my own! I don't, and I never have as far back as I can remember! All I can remember is being with Miss Lovett and Mr Sweeney, that's it! For as long as I know, the only thing that has occupied my life was blood. I've stepped in blood, I've fallen into puddles, even pools of blood, I have even blood splatter on me like a water balloon that just got popped!"

"..."

"We were _always_ on the run thanks to their crimes and their bounties, we never stayed in one area for too long because of the Marines. I made a couple of friends here and there, but it ended all the same, I had to leave them behind. When we joined with Lady Kairi and the others, I thought it'd be different, but it wasn't! Not one of those bastards wanted to be a friend of mine, they just wanted to beat the living shit out of me, and whenever Lovett wasn't around, they _did_! The only ones who ever really defended me were the snake man, the First Mate and and Goheno, but that's it! What's even worse, they just watched my back, they weren't really what one would call friend material! I-,"

"Oh, for the love of all things holy, shut up already!"

Before Tobias could stop him, Austin ran straight at him and threw a hard punch that connected with the side of his face. The other boy held the side of his face and glared up at Austin, who was now looming over at him.

A vein appeared on Austin's forehead again, "Don't you _ever_ talk about anything else?!"

"What?!"

"You've had a rough life, I get it! 'Oh, look at me, I'm Tobias! I've been with a group of killers for so long and I have no friends! I'm also too much of a chickenshit to at least try and leave on my own to have my own life and to get what I want out of this crappy ass life I have!' Feh," Austin snorted and pointed angrily at him, "You think you're the only kid in the world who's had a shitty life?! Some kids have to go through life with the memory of their mother or father, or even both, dying right in front of them and scarring them for years! I know kids who are forced to fend for themselves on the street, I know kids who are forced into battle even if they're not strong enough to lift a sword or aim a gun right!"

Tobias watched nervously as Austin grabbed his new sword off his back and pointed it down at him. He began to back up slowly, "W-W-Wait a minute! Listen, I-!"

"No, _you_ listen!" Austin snapped, walking slowly to stay with the retreating boy, "You're not the only one who's had shit happen in their life. My brother and I became orphans after we watched our mother get killed by thieves, and from that day on, he and I have been together, watching each others backs! For years, we've been taking care of each other. He may think that all this time, he's always protected his little brother, but it's also been his little brother watching out for _him_! For years, I made sure he had time to actually live as normal as he could, to _not_ be focused on revenge...to keep him human. Ever since our mother died, we had to go through a lot of shit to stay alive, to stay together. He took up the swords and trained himself so he could protect me, he killed people and earned himself a bounty, making him wanted throughout the world," he grunted, "We _all_ have shit happen to us, man, but we can't just stick around in a pissy ass mood, complaining and crying and whining that we want something better. If you want something better out of your life, you work your ass off until you get it!"

"You just don't get it!" Tobias quickly brought up his leg into an upward kick, surprising Austin and knocking _Tiamat's Fang_ out of his grip. Surprised, Austin soon found himself reeling back after Tobias launched a nother kick, this one landing right in the middle of his face. Swearing up and down, the half-Shandian spat blood out of his mouth as more blood ran down his nose. Tobias took this chance to tackle the youngest Axe-Head to the floor.

"Get the fuck off me!" Austin snapped, throwing a punch at him.

Tobias quickly pulled away and struck back with a punch or two of his own. The two young boys were soon having a strange brawling session on the floor. Punches, kicks, headbutts, scratching, biting...it was like some kind of bizarre, twisted version of a child's fight on the playground. As they fought, Austin got a good look at Tobias' face: aside from mutliple scratch marks and bruises he now sported thanks to him, there was his eyes. Granted, one of them would have one hell of a shiner in the near future, but that wasn't what got to him. There was a look in his eyes...a look of some kind of madness.

Man, this kid's worse off than I thought he was! Austin grit his teeth, tasting his own blood as it dripped through his teeth, I gotta do something about this lunatic or else he's gonna do something really freakin' crazy!

Said lunatic gripped the front of Austin's shirt and pulled him up close to his face, "All I wanted out of you, was your friendship, Austin. All I wanted was a kid my own age around so I wouldn't be alone anymore...," he growled as tears began to trickle down his face, "Is that so much to ask for?!"

"No, it's not, but it's not something you go out of your mind for!" Austin shouted back at him, "How do you think I feel?! The only other kids I know of my age are girls who are in different parts of the Grand Line right now! Don't you think I'd enjoy a chance to hang out with them for more than just a few days before we went our separate ways?! Almost everytime I meet up with a kid around my age, something big happens like a battle, or a war, or a crime, or some shit like that and I'm forced to turn my back on them to do what I have to do!"

"Do what you have to do?!" Tobias shook his head, the look still in his eyes, "You're a kid, just like me, all we have to do is enjoy our childhood, play games, hang out, all the kids stuff out there!"

"Wrong! Whether you're a kid or not, when something big happens, and a job is placed on your shoulders, no one, not even a kid, can say 'Screw this, I'm gonna go enjoy my life!', you have to do it!!" Austin pulled his legs in between them and with both a grunt and a hard push, he kicked Tobias off of him, allowing him to get back on his feet. Scrambling, Austin looked around for a weapon, but his stuff was scattered around the corridor and with blood irritating his eyes, he couldn't see them very well.

"You sonofabitch...!"

Austin wiped the blood from his eyelids and looked back at Tobias, glaring at him as he panted for breath, "My crew...everyone of them has gone through hell. They've lost family, they've lost dear friends, they've lost past dreams of theirs...they have faced tons of hardship, but do they mope around and feel sorry for themselves?!" he spat blood, "Okay, so one or three members of my crew have done that in the past, but my point is, shit happens and while there is nothing that can be done about it, my nakama do everything they can to continue on with their lives!"

"Why the hell do you keep repeating that goddamn garbage!?" Tobias demanded as he pulled a handful of razor cards, "Enough already! You and your crew, you're nothing but weaklings!" he grinned wickedly and threw the cards altogether, "Weaklings!"

The youngest Axe-Head just stood there as the cards flew at him. With his Mantra acting up yet again, he couldn't have predicted where Tobias was going to throw them, but right now, he was too pissed off to care. Most of the cards whizzed past him harmlessly, but a couple of him managed to draw blood. One flew right under his ear, cutting his neck just below his earlobe, while a handful of others cut into his arm. One in particular managed to actually plant itself into his chest. The half-Shandian winced, but he didn't cry out, although having it stuck in his chest wasn't exactly an enjoyable experience.

"Who's the weaker one, Tobias?" Austin reached down and grabbed the razor card, pulling it out with one swift motion, letting out a quiet yelp as he did, "You or me?" he threw the card away and began to walk towards him, "Both of us travel with crazy and infamous crews, who have no doubt seen their share of blood. Both of us have had bad times in our youth, and we've even been through times of lonliness, but only one of us actually has the balls to do something about it. I fight for my life and for the lives of my crew, because even though they are not the same age as me, they are the greatest friends I could ever ask for, and they're the best family my brother and I could be with. I have a bunch of sisters who look out for me, and who teach me a lot of things, and I have plenty of brothers to screw around with. You, on the other hand, won't even take a risk and leave your crew. As pirates, we both take risks every single day...,"

"Shut up!" Tobias pulled out a thicker stack of razor cards and began to throw them at the approaching Axe-Head, a good number of them landing in the boy's flesh.

That didn't stop Austin, though.

"We take risks of being found by bounty hunters, or by the World Government, then either being executed or imprisoned...hell, we even take risks with other pirate crews we come across, but that's life we lead, Tobias. I know the risks and like the others, I'm willing to do whatever it takes for them and for my own survival,"

"I said shut up!!!" Tobias pulled out a handful of darts and threw those at him, most of them joining the already bloody cards, "SHUT UP ALREADY!!!"

"We're not weak, Tobias, none of us Axe-Heads are! Sure, we may suffer defeat here and there, but that motivates us to become stronger than ever, it makes us more powerful, it makes us more clever on the battlefield. But it isn't our experiences on the sea that gives us our strength, it's our love and dedication to one another. A friend isn't someone you can ask to play a game out of the clear blue, Tobias, a friend is someone who is willing to lay their very lives on the line for you!"

A light scraping sound, along with a large object that nearly tripped the Axe-Head, made him look down. There was _Tiamat's Fang_, laying right under his foot.

"I'm so sick of trying to convince you...," Tobias reached into his clothes and pulled out two large handfuls of his special dice, "If I can't have you as a friend, then you should just fuckin' die!" he screamed as he tossed every thing in his arsenal at the already wounded Axe-Head. Austin saw them coming and darted straight for Tobias, straight towards his hail storm of explosives. Tobias grinned widely, _He calls me crazy, yet he runs towards his very death! He's the crazy one, not me...no, not me, not me at all!_

"It's gonna take more than your toys to take me down, Tobias!" Austin darted in and out of the incoming rain of death, taking more then a few hits along the way. The ones that hit him exploded on contact and the corridor was soon filled with dark smoke. However, to Tobias' great surprise, not one of them seemed to stop his opponent. Hell, none of them even seemed to slow him down! Yes, he earned burn injuries and even more of his blood splattered against the floor and walls, but he still kept coming! As he passed through the cloud, trails of smoke flowing behind him, Tobias realized he was now holding his sword tightly in both hands.

"How are you not dead?!"

Fast as he could, Tobias searched himself for more weaponry, but he was out! He had used every bit of ammo he had in his fight and he was completely out now!

"This ends _now_, Tobias!" Austin roared as he raised his sword of his head, not slowing down, even for a second. As soon as he was able to, Austin brought Tiamat's Fang down hard and swift, slicing right through Tobias' clothing and his body rather easily. Blood sprayed out from Tobias' chest wound, splashing against Austin's face and front as he came to a stop. Tobias stumbled back a few steps, his eyes wide with shock, "Wha-? How...?" he looked at Austin, his voice shaking, "Why...?"

Austin calmly and quietly rose to his full height and sheathed his still bloody sword, "I'm sorry, Tobias, but I have a family that needs me! I can't spend the entire night dealing with you, I need to find my family and help them get off this island," he turned and headed down the corridor, taking out the instruments of battle out of his body and picking up his gear along the way, "If you are strong enough to pull yourself from the brink of death, and if you're willing to put yourself in danger with the current crew you're with, then I hope that you have a better life than the one you have now,"

Tobias opened his mouth, but only a few inaudible words escaped his lips before he fell over onto his back.

Bloody and sore, Austin collected all his belongings and took off down the corridor on his hover-board, his eyes focused on what lay ahead.

_I can't stop now just because of a few wounds and fatigue, I have to keep going! Hang on guys, I'm coming! As for you Tobias, I can only hope that you'll pull through. You and I are a lot of like, I'd hate to think that you died here without a second chance at the life you want..._

As Austin turned the corner at the end of the hall, a pair of feet stepped out of the darkness and approached the fallen child. Toby looked down at Tobias, then looked back up in the direction Austin had taken off in.

"It seems that even the youngest of your crew has a strong will to fight and live, Axe," Toby knelt down and gently slipped his hands underneath the unconscious boy's body, slowly lifting him from the floor, "Don't worry, kid, I got ya...,"

* * *

**Kilnorc: Man, that was a bit of a rough one. BUT, I pulled through and hopefully, you all enjoyed it. I understand some of the talk was repetitive, but you try dealing with a crazy person. I do all the time, every single minute of every single day.... -crazed laugh- ...ahem. -looks around nervously- ON WITH THE PREVIEW!**

**On the next chapter of Endless Nightmare...**

**?: Amatsu Tonbo Giri!**

**Kairi: No big loss. We're still better than they are!**

**Damien: I've had more years of fighting experience under my belt, Miss Wenata. To tell the truth, I'm much older than I appear.  
**

**Dusty: WHAT?! _YOU_ WERE A REAR ADMIRAL?!**

**Birds of Prey Part One  
**

**Dusty: How the hell am I gonna beat this freaky bird-man?!  
**


	28. Birds of Prey Part One

**Birds of Prey Part One**

**Circle of Death**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece.**

**Kilnorc: Awright, another BV vs AH fight! Thanks to Gambit for helping me with a quote for this chapter.  
**

* * *

_**"Let me out of this cage. I don't need these wings. I don't need this rage. Come, let your anger flow," **_**- Raging Raven, Metal Gear Solid 4.  
**

Austin flew through a maze of corridors in the mansion of Thriller Bark, searching for his missing nakama while some of his blood plopped onto the floor behind him, leaving a weak blood trail. He had taken down Tobias, and he had survived the assault of explosive dice, razor edged cards and deadly throwing darts, but it wasn't until right now that he started to feel the effects. Loss of blood and fatigue made the young Axe-Head weave around the corridor until he finally forced himself off his board. Leaning against a corner, Austin looked down at his wounds and swore under his breath.

"They're not fatal, but if I don't get this cleaned and dressed, it's gonna be a major pain in the ass for me in the future. Damn, I gotta find some sheets or something...or else find out where they keep the medical stuff here," he winced and pushed off the wall, which now had a large bloodstain, "Gotta keep moving...!"

Grabbing his belongings and picking up his board, Austin turned the corner in hopes of finding something to keep him from bleeding out, but as soon as he turned the corner...

_"Amatsu Tonbo Giri!" _**(1)**

A low humming sound followed after the cry, but before Austin could do anything about it, a loud noise, that sounded a lot like a rifle shot, echoed through the corridor and moments later, a great pain struck the young boy in the shoulder. Something shot straight through his left shoulder with such force, he was sent flying off his feet and slid along the floor until he hit the wall...hard.

_The...hell...?_ Austin watched as a figure advanced on him, a sword gleaming in the darkness of the mansion, _...shit...!_

With that final thought, Austin slipped into unconsciousness as he new wound bled out and as his attacker approached him.

* * *

"So, what you're saying is that along with the loss of Anubis, Lovett and Todd, as well as the many decapitated lower ranking members and the lycanthropes that met their end with silver bullets, we have to add Tobias to our list because that little brat that travels with Axe beat him?"

Toby cleared his throat and shifted a little bit, "Yeah. Sorry to deliver the news, but I thought you should know, Captain,"

Kairi idly tapped her arm and looked out the nearest window, "No big loss. We're _still_ better than they are!"

"Captain, we've lost just about every lower ranking member of the crew, we've lost our flesh-eating plant, two of our nakama have been killed with head shots and now our cabin boy's been beaten,"

She nodded, "I'm aware of the count, Toby, but I still stand by what I said. Lovett and Todd were newbies to the crew, and Tobias was just a cabin boy,"

"He was just a _kid_,"

"You think I don't know that?" Kairi turned and looked back at him, "Toby, I'm curious, why are you so soft all of a sudden?"

"I'm not,"

"Yes, you are," Kairi said chuckled, "I noticed that when we were on the seas, you seemed to have a protective side for the boy,"

"So I pulled him out of some fights and other situations like that, who cares?" Toby shrugged, "Cobaras and Goheno used to watch out for him too, who the hell gives a crap?! Just because I helped a kid out now and then doesn't mean I'm soft, Captain,"

"Heh, if you say so. Where is Tobias now?"

"I tried to get Eliza to patch him up, but when I got to Hogback's lab, she and Stitches were already on their way back to the ship. I'll have to head there after this to get him fixed up," Toby crossed his arms, "Hogback told me he suggested they move the White Dragon to a safer place for now,"

"Safer place?" Kairi frowned and shook her head, "What could be safer than this place? Hell, this whole island?"

"Well...," Toby cleared his throat, "...it was in his opinion that with the number of people invading the mansion and putting up a fight, he thought it'd be best to move her in case her nakama came for her. Maybe we should do the same thing with Axe,"

Kairi shook her head again, "No, we don't need to do that. Granted, a lot of people are making their way into this place, but you forget Toby, that we're in the realm of a Shichibukai. Yes, he's asleep right now, but should he wake up, he can deal with whatever possible dangers that may present themselves,"

"Speaking of that, aren't you at all concerned about Moria?"

"Why should I be concerned?"

"Captain, with all due respect, we've been pirates for five years, you know how people like us can be," Toby looked around, sniffing to make sure none of Perona's Ghosts or a certain invisible man were not in the room, "Moria has a powerful Devil Fruit ability, plus he has a former bounty of 320,000,000 Beli! Should he wake up, he could go back on the bargain and add us to his list of shadow victims, OR he could just capture us and send us to the World Government and the next thing we know, we'll end up in Impel Down!"

Kairi shot him a look and grinned, "Moria may have connections and a reputation, but don't forget Toby, we have a connection out in the world, too,"

Toby growled and cracked his neck, "How could I forget?"

"Besides, bounties don't _always_ mean anything to a power of a pirate," the blood-thirsty pirate captain continued, "Quite a few of us have low bounties, but we're all pretty strong,"

"Isn't that because of Damien?"

"That doesn't matter, what does matter is that bounties don't always mean power," Kairi waved him off, "Are you done? I'm sure Tobias is bleeding to death out in the hallway or something?"

Toby rolled his eyes at her sarcasm, but nodded and turned, heading for the door.

_She may seem confident, but I won't let my guard down here..._ Toby thought to himself as he left the room, _Most pirates would screw other pirates over for personal gain, and after meeting with Moria, I wouldn't put it past the freaky bastard!_

* * *

"What the hell were you talking about earlier, birdboy, what did you do to Niri?!"

Damien shook his head, "_I_ did nothing more than just take her from the forest and bring her to the Captain," he said casually, "From there, it was all Kairi," he looked down at his shallow wound, touching the edges of said wound, blood smearing on his fingers, "You should be mad at her for killing the Marine, not me,"

Dusty's eyes widened, "W-What...?"

"Oh yes, you should have seen it," Damien looked up at her, licking the blood off his fingers, "I must say, for someone who doesn't have a Devil Fruit ability, nor any firearms at her disposal, your friend Niri put up quite the fight against the Blood Countess. She even managed to get some good shots herself...before she sank her teeth into her, of course,"

"You bastard, you're lying!!"

"Hey, believe me or not," Damien shrugged, "That's not really important to me, all I know is that I speak the truth, it's up to you to deny or accept it,"

First, they beat the shit out of Azu, these guys take Kirsty, and I don't even wanna think about what they could've done to Austin and DJ-kun! Dusty gripped her scythes, I'm so gonna kill 'em!

"You're giving me an awfully nasty look there," Damien observed, crossing his arms, "I've heard that foxes can be pretty cunning and fierce, if their lives depended on it. I can see a slight example of what you call cunning, what with you slicing into my body like before, but let me tell you something: you won't be able to beat me like that. I've had more years of fighting experience under my belt, Miss Wenata. To tell the truth, I'm much older than I appear,"

"Oh yeah? Just how old are you, 26?"

Damien smirked, "I'm at least 50,"

Dusty's jaw hit the ground, "F-F-F-Fifty?! YOU'RE _FIFTY_?!"

"Mhm," Damien ran a hand through his black hair, "I must say, I look pretty good for a man my age, don't I? Like the birds, I don't show much progress in age,"

"Uh...I think you're confused on that bit," Dusty's ears twitched, "Wait a minute, are you saying your Devil Fruit is what keeps you young? WHAT THE HELL KIND OF DEVIL FRUIT USER ARE YOU?!"

The navigator of the Bloodless Vampires facefaulted, "I suppose the myths of kitsunes being intelligent are only truthful to the actual animals. Either that, or they're complete myths,"

"Hey! Are you calling me stupid?!" Dusty glared daggers at him.

"That's not important," Damien knelt down and unzipped his duffel bag, "Two things: my Devil Fruit is the To_ri Tori no Mi, Model: Raven_ and the reason I'm so youthful in appearance is because of my Tai Chi,"

"You're tie's a _what_ now?"

Damien sighed and rose to his feet, pulling out a pair of large, yet strange looking metallic rings. Each one of them had about four or five, wavy protrusions coming out of the edges, like flames from a campfire. Dusty didn't even have to look closely at the blades to tell that they were very sharp. The only reason that Damien's hands weren't cut and bleeding right now were a pair of leathery handles, one on each metal ring.

"Like what you see?" Damien noticed her stare and held up one ring, giving it an admiring look, "These are my friends, they're called Wind and Fire Wheels. If you're wondering what they are exactly, they are tools, as well as weapons. You see, Tai Chi is an art that incorporates both soft and hard martial art techniques into it, as well as the healthy practices that come with it,"

"...okay, you totally lost me,"

Damien spun the blades around idly, "Tai Chi, while used in combat, can also be used for health benefits. I've mastered many forms of this, and throughout my years of practicing Tai Chi, I look like this. Now, you've seen that side of Tai Chi, allow me to show you the other, more aggressive side of Tai Chi," he took a stance, rings held tightly in his hands.

"Alright, you want a piece of me, _ossan_, then come get some!"

* * *

"What the hell kind of crew, do you have, Kairi?"

The Blood Countess turned to Axe, whose head was lowered, "A very unique one, even among the Grand Line, Axe. I have a giant cyborg at my disposal, I have a werewolf, I have a woman who can enter people's minds through their dreams and turn them into pure nightmares, a physician who can do wonders with medical science...," she chuckled to herself and shook her head, "I'll have to admit, there are other choice pirates out there I'd love to get my nails into and make them a part of this crew, but it'd be very difficult. Hell, to tell the truth, I'm even surprised I managed to snag such an interesting crew in the first place. Take Damien for example,"

"...what about that flying freak?"

* * *

When Dusty imagined Tai Chi based off Damien's summary of it, she expected this to be a pretty easy battle. What she didn't expect was that Damien's fighting style to be such a pain in the ass. For a few minutes now, every time she launched an attack, with her fists, with her scythes, or her feet at him, Damien either stopped the attacks cold, or dodged, or just deflected the attacks with easy-moving movements of his hands and his body.

"Okay, you're _really_ starting to piss me off, birdboy!" Dusty growled, her fox ears flattening against her head, "You do _not_ want to piss me off!"

Damien smiled and casually spun one of his rings around a wrist on the inside of said ring, keeping him safe from being cut, "I've met plenty of men and women who have threatened to get to a certain level of anger and make me pay for making them go to that level, but every time, I've put them down. Do you have any idea how much blood my Wheels have tasted over the years?"

"Shut up and fight, you asshole!" Dusty lunged for him, her scythes pulled behind her back, _I'm **so** gonna cut this bastard this time!!_

The Bird Zoan could only chuckle as he sidestepped the oncoming scythes as she swung them down upon him. Taking advantage of the moment, as well as the fact that his opponent was thrown off guard, he slipped his hands through the inside of his rings, letting them drop onto his arms without harm to himself, and reached out, grabbing Dusty's arm closest to him. Holding her arm with one hand, Damien rammed his free elbow into her body, just under the armpit. A loud cracking was heard and Dusty let out a yelp before Damien pulled her arm hard, throwing her to the side. Dusty hit the stumbled and fell to the ground, holding her side and gritting her teeth.

_Sonofabitch! That bastard! I think he broke a rib or something!_

"For a woman pirate worth 130,000,000 Beli, I'm disappointed," Damien looked down at her she held her side, "I'll admit, the strength to keep holding onto your weapons while dealing with certain levels of pain, that's a nifty skill one can only learn from years of battlefield experience. However, after what I learned about you and your crew, I must admit I expected something...well, something _better_ than this,"

Dusty looked over her shoulder, "Just give me a few minutes, I'll give you something you'll like!" she rolled over onto her back and flipped onto her feet, "Let's go!"

"Well, you're determined, I'll give you that," Damien slid his Wind and Fire Wheels back into his grips, "But as I said, you won't be able to beat me like that. My years as a Marine showed me all kinds of battles and all kinds of injuries-,"

"Hold up a minute!" Dusty climbed back to her feet, the pain still throbbing under her arm, "You were a Marine?!"

Damien tilted his head, "Is that so odd? Gasparde was a Marine, your friend was a Marine...,"

"Look, I know some annoying as hell people and even bad people who were in the Marines can become pirates, but...but uh...," she blinked a few times, "I lost my train of thought here, I don't know where I'm going with this,"

The Zoan shook his head, "How does your crew put up with you?"

"Hey, shut up!" Dusty barked at him, a vein twitching on her forehead, "If you were a Marine, what rank were you before you became a traitor? Niri was like the lowest rank before she got framed by Kairi, so you're what...a Commander, a Lieutenant at l_east_?"

A smirk crossed Damien's face, "Oh, I'm sorry, but you've guessed wrong on that one. Actually, wrong on all things,"

"Huh?"

"You see, I'm not a traitor. I was a Marine, faithful to the World Government, but after a bad mission a few years back, I got discharged from the service. As for the rank I held, if you really must know, I was a Rear Admiral," the smirk got wider, "I was but one rank away from become a Vice-Admiral and two ranks away from becoming an Admiral!"

"WHAT?!" Dusty's jaw hit the ground, her eyes going wider than ever before as she pointed at her enemy, "_You_ were a Rear Admiral?!"

* * *

"What the hell is a Rear Admiral doing being a pirate...least of all, a member of _your_ pirate crew?!" Axe growled at his former nakama, "Someone of that strength should have their own crew!"

"Oh, don't worry, there is a Rear Admiral who defected to the life of a pirate who also has his own crew," Kairi took a seat in front of her captive, "His name is X Drake, or 'Red Flag Drake', and he's got a bounty of 222,000,000 Beli," she grinned, "I'd say he'd do either of us proud if he had joined up with either of us,"

"...why the hell is he a pirate instead of a Marine?"

Kairi shrugged, "From what I heard from Damien, he just defected because he wanted to see how the other half lives,"

Axe frowned, "I don't understand...,"

"That's one of the perks of having a former Marine who had a Rear Admiral ranking, Damien has connections!" Kairi chuckled darkly, "You see, he had a lot of powerful friends and plenty of subordinates during his career, and even now, as a wanted criminal and practically a traitor to the Government he served so well, he still has contact with many of them. He has such influence on them, due to his power and his knowledge of them, he can find out practically anything he wants to know!"

"One would think with that knowledge, knowledge that could be used against the Government, he'd have a larger bounty,"

"Ah, that's another one of the perks of having Damien around," Kairi held up a finger, nodding slowly, "He doesn't just use his contacts to get information, he uses his contacts to alter information! You see, I have quite a few dangerous members on this crew of mine, but compared to many people's standards, they have low bounties. The reason for this is, Damien spreads his influence and manages to reduce the current bounties or to make sure false reports are given so the bounties are not updated at all," she let out a laugh as she leaned her head back and looked up at the ceiling, "A few of us keep a few noteworthy bounties and the rest of us get less noticeable ones. Everything works out. Well, not for whoever gets in the ring with Damien, anyway. Compared to most of the Marines out there, except the really high ranking ones anyway, Damien's on a totally different level of power!"

* * *

"Hold still, you bastard!" Dusty snapped as she swung her scythes at the Bloodless Vampire, "Seriously!"

Damien said nothing as he moved fluidly from side to side, as if he were made of water. As one who had seen plenty of combat in the field, he had gone up against a lot of people who used melee weapons and knew just how to deal with Dusty and her scythes. He knew that the scythes themselves only had a limited attack range, so he had two choices: dodge every single attack, or keep out of the weapon's range. Staying out of a fight radius wasn't exactly his style though, so he just stayed as close as possible, not only dodging or deflecting the scythes, but also using his own body to either knock Dusty away from him or knock her down in order to disorient her long enough to strike.

The Rear Admiral had to admit, Dusty was lasting longer against him in this form of combat that he originally thought he would. She was very limber and no doubt whatever she learned as acrobatics was helping her keep on her toes against him. Aside from the occasional body rammings or close call Wheel strikes of his own, he wasn't landing any hits of his own either...yet. He still had a few things up his sleeve, but first, he had to find out something.

"Tell me, is the speed you're using your own, or is that borrowed from your Devil Fruit?"

"I don't think that matters, or if that's any of your business!" Dusty leapt at him, "Less talky, more fighty!"

"Impatience and anger will be your downfall," Damien brought up his Wind and Fire Wheels and held them outward to the sides, "_Razor Whirlwind_...," he closed his eyes and began to spin rapidly in place. Dusty, still in mid-jump, was able to veer off course and hit the floor of the roof, sliding to a halt a short distance away from the navigator of the Bloodless Vampires. She watched as Damien picked up speed with every second, and watched as the two blades that he wielded became multiple blurry images that gave off the illusion that they were floating around his whole body and incredible speed.

"Ooooh...okay, you wanna play like that?" Dusty grinned and tucked her scythes back into their place, "Two can play that game! _Kyouran Kyuubi no Kitsune: Ichibi!_"

Soon, Dusty was spinning around in her own tornado, just like Damien. The kitsune couldn't help but smirk as increased her speed, _This will show that bastard I ain't a pushover pirate! I'll suck him in and rip him to pieces!_

Sure enough, Damien was quickly coming towards the spinning miko kitsune, his blades still spinning in every which way. As the two twisters came closer and closer to each other, the outer rims of each twister began to clash, and through that clashing, sparks of bright light to spew outward, as if two metal items were scraping against each other. The closer the two entities came together, the more and more sparks were made, some of them in the form of small, blue arcs that jumped into the air.

Dusty was able to hold her own against Damien, but the downside of this technique of hers was that she couldn't stay spinning forever, and what she was doing was already making her pretty dizzy. Preparing herself for the consequences, Dusty's twister backed away from Damien's and began to slow to a stop. Through his own, Damien could see the opportunity he needed and with a burst of speed, he spun right at Dusty, his blades slicing through the air like they were butter.

The Axe-Head miko knew that he would most likely take this particular moment to attack her, so she did her best to avoid the oncoming blades, however even with her evasive tactics, Damien managed to cut into her pretty well. The navigator sped past her and came to a sudden halt, a grin on his face and blood dripping from his blades. Dusty came to a halt as well, except hers was a bit slower than Damien's. She was dizzy from the Ichibi technique, and a good portion of her upper body had numerous cuts, created from her enemy's Wind and Fire Wheels. Some of them even criss-crossed one another. Even her shirt was close to falling off her torso because of the slashings, but managed to stay on and stay together.

"That's very impressive," Damien rose to full height and turned to face her, spinning his blades idly, "That must be the first time for both of those things to happen. We were moving at such speeds, that when we collided, the friction in the air created some form of static electricity, although it wasn't very powerful. I suppose only certain levels of friction could create the kind of lightning we're used to seeing on the high seas. You've also managed to be cut by my Wheels and not fall. Very few people have managed to do that in the past...," he raised an eyebrow, "You must really want to live through this,"

"Of course I do!" Dusty, having regained her senses, turned and snapped at Damien, "Why wouldn't I want to live through this?! I'm fighting for my nakama here, there's nothing else aside from my dream that I'd risk my life for! Nakama for life, you asshole, nakama for life!"

"Nakama...for...life," Damien repeated slowly, "You know, in another life, I probably said something similar to the Marines I fought alongside with. Those men and women were my nakama, we fought together, some of them died in front of my eyes while I lived on, and we even backed each other up in some bad times. However, nakama are not always for life, kitsune," he scowled, "If I had nakama for life, I wouldn't be here. I'd still be in the World Government's employ, earning a good salary and becoming stronger than others who don't even deserve a chance to be in the forces. Yet, I am here, and the reason for that is this: the supposed nakama I had fought alongside with left me out to dry when I got discharged,"

"...what?"

"Four years ago, a mission went bad. I was at fault, and I thought I would have had some support afterwards, but no one came to my defense. I got stripped of my rank, I was kicked out of the Marines and everything I worked hard for was thrown out the window. It's true that nakama will stick by you, but that's only for a short time. Tell me, how long do you think it'll be before your nakama decide to leave you out for the wolves, hm? How long do you think it'll be before they turn their back on you and get on with their lives?"

Dusty grinned and pulled her scythes out again, "Never," she darted at her fellow Zoan, spinning her scythes around, "They'll never abandon me, and I'll never abandon them!"

Kids these day are always so eager to die... Damien gripped his Wheels and brought them up just in time to block and stop Dusty's scythes cold. The two Zoans stared at one another as their weapons were locked together, neither of them moving (save the shaking of Dusty's scythes). Damien leaned in close to her face, "You're agile and you're quick, I'll give you that, but unless you have the intelligence and strength necessary to survive in this ocean, then you'll never have a chance of beating me,"

"We'll see about that!" Dusty released one of her scythes and as it fell to her feet, she quickly brought her free hand up, fingertips aimed right at Damien's face, "_Miko Attack Spell, Level One_...!"

"I don't think so!" Damien thrust his free Wheel, aiming straight for Dusty's neck.

The miko had to cut her spell short and quickly as she could, she brought her hand up and grabbed the incoming wheel from cutting into her neck. Her hand was wrapped around one of the long, flame-like protrusions, which was awfully close of piercing her throat. She winced as the sharp edges cut into her hands, her blood either running down her own arm or down the metal blade.

"I know about you and your miko abilities, Miss Wenata," Damien chuckled, "You forget, I get information! For a while now, I've been looking into each and everyone of you, as best as I can and I know that you're a beginner miko with the power for weak spells!"

Dusty growled as she tightened her grip on the blade, "If my power is weak, then why'd you'd stop me from casting a spell? Are you really that afraid of me?!"

Damien let out a short, but loud laugh, "Don't be an egomaniac! I have no fear of your miko power, I only saw a window of opportunity and took it! Truth be told, I thought I'd kill you by ramming my wheel into your throat and let you choke on your own blood before you could stop me, but since you were able to stop my blade just in time, it looks like I'm getting slow in my age,"

"Or maybe I'm just faster than you thought I was!" Dusty grinned widely, "_Stronger_, too!". Before Damien could ask what she meant by that, Dusty let out a cry and with a flick of her wrist, the flame blade she was holding onto snapped clean off the Wheel.

"What-?!"

"Hehe...I think this belongs to you!" Dusty flipped the blade over in her hand ran it deep into Damien's shoulder.

"GAH! YOU BITCH!" Damien shouted and backhanded Dusty hard across the face, using his other Wheel to cut into the side of her face. Dusty cried out as blood trickled down the side of her face. The enemy Zoan backed away from her and with a grunt and a jerk, he pulled the bloody metal piece from his shoulder, an annoyed look on his face. He looked at the broken piece of metal, then at Dusty and threw the piece to the side before taking up his Wheels.

Dusty pulled out her other scythe and took a stance as Damien began to spin his Wheels so fast, they became a blur, "Now, we're _really_ getting down to business!"

* * *

Herman ran around the interior of the mansion, his eyestalks twisting every which way, looking for any sign of Dusty, or any sign of his nakama for that matter. All he found were Portrait zombies and other zombies that got in his way. They tried to block his way, they tried to hold him back, they even tried to hold him down in one place, but every tactic they used had the same result as the last one. Herman was in no mood to trouble himself with the living dead, and he had no intention of wasting his time with them. He punched, he kicked, he tossed, he even used his tail to knock away anything and everything that came his way. The lobster Fish-Man left a trail of (living) dead bodies in his wake as he stormed through the mansion, never giving up for a second to find his crew.

As he came to yet another intersection, he heard the sound of glass breaking to the right. Without a second thought, he turned and bolted down the corridor, hoping he'd get there in time. Moving through the corridor, he noticed huge gashes in the stone floor and walls around him, as well as large holes in the area. The change in decor was recent, like brand new, whatever made these was straight ahead of the lobster-man.

"I got a baaaaaaaaaad feeling about this...,"

* * *

What used to be a mess of weapons clanging against each other and blood spilling, the battle between Damien and Dusty actually appeared to be on even ground now. Damien's strength and speed with his injured arm didn't seem faltered, in fact it didn't look like anything was wrong with it at all. Instead of her scythes meeting his Wheels, the two of them seemed to be involved in some form of ritualistic dance. Damien had been able to dodged and attack using his fluid Tai Chi movements, and before Dusty used to be thrown off or injured by his style, but now, she actually seemed to be moving with him. When she attacked him, he moved out of harms way, but whenever he attacked now, she moved out of the way of his attacks as well. It was like they were perfectly in sync or something. To make things even weirder, Dusty had her eyes closed the entire time!

_What's going on?!_ Damien wondered as he made a fierce swipe at Dusty's head with his Wheels, _It's like she's predicting my movements, but she's not psychic, and I know she can't be anywhere near experienced enough to read my movements! How is she doing this, it doesn't make sense!?_

Truth behind this was Dusty was currently using her _Kyouran Kyuubi no Kitsune: Sanbi_ technique. Her eyes closed and her other senses at work, she was able to move around Damien's attacks effortlessly. Whether or not she was actually attacking during this very technique, even she didn't know, she just moved her body around and let whatever happened happen.

_I can't land any moves on her with this... _Damien thought as he and the kitsune miko "danced" around the roof, _I'll have to change things up a bit!_

With a grunt, he jumped back a fair distance, reaching into his back pants pocket. As Dusty made her way towards him, Damien fastened a long, thin cable to the handles of both his Fire Wheels. Grinning, he pulled on both Wheels, making the cable go taut,_ Let's see her try and handle this!_

Darting back to Dusty, meeting her halfway, Damien through one of his Wheels at her, and as he expected, she dodged the incoming weapon easily. When it cleared her neck, Damien pulled on the other Wheel hard. The Wheel that he threw suddenly snapped back and wrapped itself around Dusty's neck. The kitsune snapped out of her dodgy trance and her hands automatically went flying to her neck, trying to free herself from the hold of the cable.

"I'd like to see you try and dodge me now, miko!" Damien pulled hard, forcing Dusty to move towards him and allowing him to launch and land a hard kick on the side of her face. The miko's head snapped to the side, blood flying out of her mouth from the force of the blow. The bird Zoan grinned and turned on his heel, delivering a powerful roundhouse kick to the other side of her face. Dusty cried out in pain as her head snapped to the other side, more blood trickling down her chin.

Damien continued his barrage of unavoidable kicks before coming to a stop and standing over Dusty's bloody form. He looked down on the miko, whose body was not only cut, but severely bruised from the beatings. He grabbed the cable and pulled her from the ground to her knees, her eyes barely open, "It was a mistake for you and your crew to come here, Wenata. It was an even bigger mistake to come looking for your nakama. You should've just let yourself get killed early on, that would've been the smart thing. But then again, if you had, I wouldn't be getting the joy I'm getting now from beating the living shit out of you. Don't think that I'm doing this myself, though, you should give yourself credit. My Tai Chi is powerful, yes, but most of what I'm doing is using your own force against you...so in a way, you're killing yourself. Now," he pulled on the cable again, "...on your feet!"

She glared up at him, How the hell am I gonna beat this freaky bird-man?!

"I said on your feet, bitch!"

The bloody kitsune coughed blood as she staggered to her feet. Damien looked her over and shook his head, "I don't care whose blood you have or what crew you belong to, woman, you're one of the most pathetic excuses for a pirate I've ever seen. Granted, you held your own against me for a good while, but that's all you ever really did well. You didn't take advantage of your Zoan abilities, you have about the worst miko skills, even compared to a beginner...why the hell Axe recruited you to fight against my captain is beyond me, it makes no sense. Oh well, I suppose there's no sense in worrying about it now, since you're about to die,"

With those final words, Damien pulled his spare hand back and rammed a strong fist right into Dusty's chest. Using his inner power, Damien was able to expel a force so strong, he not only sent Dusty flying back, but he made her fly back so hard, the cable that was still wrapped around her neck actually broke and she was soon flying clear off the roof. The Blood Raven cracked his neck as he watched Dusty fly a good distance away from the mansion before disappearing into the forest below.

"Your captain fell before Kairi's power...it's no real surprise that you fell before mine,"

* * *

**Kilnorc: MAN! What a chapter, and it's only the first half of the battle! Well, I hope you all enjoyed it, it was a pain in the ass to work with! I would like to express my thanks to my dear friends, Dragon's-Maiden, MalchiortheDraco, everyone else who helped me that I might just forget their name, lol. Thanks to a special girl who made sure I didn't stress myself and thanks to SuperHurricane for telling me about an awesome Jet Li movie that helped me out IMMENSELY. I owe you guys, you saved my ass on this!**

**On the next chapter of Endless Nightmare...**

**Lola: Shit! What happened to the fox-girl?!**

**??: You're too full of bloodlust, Damien.**

**Damien: You're actually using that power now? No matter...**

**Dusty: I'll show you the power of a fox!!**

**Birds of Prey Part Two**

**Dusty: Hehe...just found your weakness...stupid asshole!**

**(1)_ Amatsu Tonbo Giri:_** Literally, "Imperial Dragonfly Cut." A thrusting technique with the sword that can create a blast similar to that of a rifle's shot. It gets its name from the fact that a slight buzzing sound like that of a dragonfly's wings emanates from the rapier before the attack is launched.


	29. Birds of Prey Part Two

**Birds of Prey Part Two**

**Feathers and Fangs**

**Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece.**

* * *

**_"Ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore —  
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!"  
Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."_- _The Raven_, Edgar Allan Poe  
**

"I'm telling you, I saw something fall from the sky!"

"You were seeing things!"

"You'd think I'd lie about something like _that_? _Here_, of all places?!"

"No, I just said you're probably seeing things! _Big_ difference!"

"Enough!" Lola snapped at the Risky Brothers as the two of them led her and a handful of her other nakama through the Dead Forest, "C'mon, where is it?"

Fat Risky stepped over a fallen log, "It's over here, Captain, I'm sure of it! I saw something fly through the sky, then come down and....hit...," he came to a halt, in both speech and movement. A few moments later, his nakama found out why: there, laying on the ground with a good portion of said ground pushed up around her, was Dusty!

"Shit!" Lola's jaw dropped, "What the hell happened to the fox-girl?!" she shook her head and turned to her nakama, "Get her out of there, we have to make sure she's okay!"

"RIGHT CAPTAIN, RIGHT AWAY!" the Risky's nodded and darted to the fallen kitsune.

As her nakama gently picked Dusty up from the ground, Lola looked at the area that was damaged from the impact of the falling and wounded Axe-Head pirate. There was a long stretch of ground that was upheaved that started a few good yards away and ended where Dusty was found laying a short time before. She frowned and looked up at the sky, "Boys...,"

"Yeah, Captain, we're doing the best we can!"

"Do better," Lola turned and headed to her nakama, "We don't have much time,"

"Captain?"

"Just hurry!"

The Risky Brothers glanced at each other.

* * *

Damien had jumped from the roof of the mansion and was now gliding around the entire section of the island where he saw Dusty fall. He wasn't in his full form, but his hybrid form still granted him wings to fly. Granted, his arms now looked like bird's legs, completely covered in both fur and scales that went just past his wrist, but he was able to have those hands free as the wings on his back flapped, carrying him throughout the sky as he searched for his prey.

"That girl is too stubborn to fall and die," he mused to himself, his head going from side to side, looking for the impact area, "She was willing to fight for her nakama, even if it meant giving up her own life. I don't usually meet people like that. She took a lot of punishment from me, but she was still willing to go on. Heh, reminds me of when I was younger...,"

-Flashback-

**Roughly 20 Years Ago...**

_"You are lucky to be alive soldier, very lucky. Whoever you butted heads with, they sure knew how to fight!"_

_Damien turned away and glared at the wall of the base's infirmary as he lay on the hospital bed, most of his body wrapped in gauze bandages. The doctor standing at the foot of his bed tilted his head, "Hey, c'mon, don't worry about it, just be thankful that you're alive,"_

_"...I should've won," Damien muttered bitterly, "Should have won!"_

_"Hey, listen to me," the doctor pointed his pen at him, "From the damage I've seen, it would've taken a real tough as nails Marine to even play on level playing ground. What rank are you again?" he looked at his clipboard, "A Lieutenant Commander, recently promoted, huh?"_

_The wounded soldier nodded slowly._

_"Well, look I know that you're angry and that you're wanting to have some kind of revenge on the man who attacked you, but listen to my advice: judging from the injuries and from what you told me about the fight you had, it would've taken at least a Captain or even a Commodore to handle the man...at least one of them,"_

_"Grrr...,"_

_---_

_"I do not believe this. Lieutenant Commander Bran, what the hell are you thinking?! You're barely out of recovery and already you're-,"_

_"I'm handling outlaws, just like our doctrine wants us too," Damien cut off the Commodore sitting in front of him, picking his ear, "I can't stay in bed the rest of my life, sir, I need to get out there and back on my feet,"_

_"I understand that soldier, but you're doing some questionable things, even amongst this base and it's staff," the Commodore looked through his file, "In the past two weeks, you've gotten into at least fifteen fights with prisoners and despite repeated orders for you to stand down, you've been painting the walls of the yard and mess hall with red!" he glared up at the recovering Marine, "You're too full of bloodlust, Damien,"_

_"No, I'm not sir, I just love to fight and I also love to deal out punishment to those who are foolish enough to defy us and the World Government," Damien pounded the desk between them, his eyes staring straight into his C.O., "Someone around here has to do it, after all,"_

_The Commodore scowled deeply, "I see. Well, I was having a difficult time thinking about how to deal with you and your behavior, and I think I've just come to a decision,"_

_"What the hell are you talking about?"_

_"Lieutenant Commander Bran, as of today, you are suspended-,"_

_"WHAT?!"_

_"During your time off, I suggest you recover fully, both physically and mentally, because I'm pretty sure that last major skirmish you had screwed with your head!_

**10 Years Later...**

_"Open your eyes, Raven, a couple are getting away from ya!!"_

_Damien, now a Commodore, looked over his shoulder to see a man and a woman run from behind a building towards another building, running over bodies and bloodstained cobblestones. With a grunt, Damien quickly impaled the civilian he had in his grip and took off after the fleeing couple._

_A blur from the corner of his eye made him turn to see a man with a horrible burn scar on the side of his face that stretched from a temple down to his shoulder, which was now hidden by clothing, run along side him, his Marine coat flowing behind him as a wicked set of bloodstained razor claws gleamed in the sunlight._

_"I got 'em, Fred!"_

_"That's what you think!" Commodore Fred Englund laughed coldly as the two of them headed for their intended victims, "We're tied, Bran, 49 to 49! These are the tie-breakers!"_

_Damien smirked, "Alright then, whoever nails them both wins!" he pushed off the ground with a burst of speed, his Wind and Fire Wheels spinning around and around in a blur._

_A few moments later, Damien was standing over the bodies, his Wheels dripping crimson. The Devil Fruit user calmly wiped the blood away from the metallic weapons as his fellow Commodore walked up to him, a wicked grin on his face._

_"51 to 49, looks like you win," Fred mused, "Just so you know, kid, I let you win,"_

_"Bullcrap," Damien slipped his Wheels into his coat and turned to his comrade, "I won on my own. You're just getting slow, Englund,"_

_"Whatever," the scarred Commodore looked around, "This is the fifth island we've had our fun with...figure by now we'd actually come across something worth killing,"_

_"Hey, you find something worth killing, I just want to find a strong opponent," Damien rolled his eyes, "It's the only reason I really signed up with you and the two idiots. You three get your fill with blood and death, and I'll just go up against anyone that can help me get stronger,"_

_"**We** get **our** fill of blood and death?" Fred raised his only eyebrow, "I've seen you go a little crazy on the civvies, Bran, and their blood's splashed on your clothes more than any opponent's you've had, so don't try and think that you're not like us. Admit it, besides fighting, you absolutely **love** slaughtering innocent people!"_

_"At least **I** don't go after little kids!"_

_"To each their own, and **don't** get righteous with me, we're both sinners here," Fred pointed a razor finger at him, "Just be glad we're actually able to pull this off. If HQ got wind of the truth behind our little 'raids' on villages, if they found out that we weren't really hunting criminals and killing people for our own personal reasons, then we'd be executed or, at the very least, sent to Impel Down!"_

_Damien shook his head slowly, "Are you saying you're scared of being caught, Freddy? **You**?"_

_"All I'm saying is that if we're going to keep this up, we'll have to be careful! Believe me, I've done a lot of shit that got me off, and I have yet to be caught and punished for 'em, so believe me when I tell you that I know what I'm doing,"  
_

-End Flashback-

Damien gently ran a talon/hand along the front of his body, feeling the old (and now nearly invisible) scars underneath his feathers, _That bastard nearly killed me twenty years ago and I haven't stopped my search for him. I've gone from a nervous piss-ant to a soldier who isn't afraid to shed blood on and off the battlefield, all because of him. Strange, twenty years later, that man haunts me even in the most surprising ways..._

* * *

"What the hell is this thing?" Thin Risky held up the discarded Wind and Fire Wheel after gently removing it from Dusty's neck, "It's bizarre...,"

Fat Risky looked at the broken strap, then at the markings on Dusty's neck, "She's lucky she doesn't have a broken neck! This thing's made out of something strong, like leather, but it snapped. Whatever made this snap off must've been a strong force, she should've snapped her neck and died when this was broken, but she survived...," he shook his head, "_Man!_"

"Besides that, how is she, boys?" Lola asked, walking up to them, "Will she survive?"

The Brothers shrugged, "We're not doctors, Captain, we can't be sure,"

Lola crossed her arms and looked down at Dusty and the wounds she was covered in, "Whatever or whoever she was battling, she put up one helluva fight to earn those kind of injuries. We have to make sure she stays alive until she's up and moving again,"

"But Captain, like we said, we're not doctors, we can't do medical stuff-,"

Lola shook her head, "Not just that, boys. From what we know about this island and the people on it, they're a bunch of killers. If the fox-girl fought one of these people, and unless they actually planned to spare her life, then whoever she went up against will no doubt come looking for her, wanting to finish her off while she's unable to defend herself," she turned to her nakama, "We are to do everything in our power to help her and any nakama we find from here on out!"

"AYE!"

Fat Risky turned to his brother, "I respect the Captain and everything, but she's normally not _wanting_ to fight. So...what's the deal?"

His brother lowered his voice, "I think this is different. She doesn't want to fight against Moria and his people because he's a Shichibukai, but if whatever did this to the kit was one of the Bloodless Vampires, then I think she'd be wanting to go against them...,"

"That doesn't make any sense! They're just as bad as he is!"

"Look, you wanted my answer, you got my answer. If you got a problem with it, then you can just kiss my ass!"

The Rolling Pirates, along with the rest of the rest of the Thriller Bark Victim's Association, went back and forth in one of their many hiding spots on the island, doing whatever they could to help the fallen miko. The Risky's made her as comfortable as possible while a number of the others tried to find something in their horde of supplies that could help her heal, or at least give her less pain with her injuries. Lola, meanwhile, was looking at the mansion in the distance, the Wheel held in both her hands.

_You all went there to find your nakama, then all of a sudden one of you falls from the sky like a star, covered in her own blood and unconscious? I know that the people you're up against truly are monsters, but if one of you is like this so soon after your departure... _she looked down at the Wheel, _I'd hate to think what the rest of you are going up against. Don't worry, you all helped us, we'll return the favor. We'll make sure nothing happens to your nakama!_

Back with the Risky's, the two brothers were going through Dusty's belongings, which were not only surprisingly intact after the little bout with the Blood Raven, but they were all together in her pack or on her body. Fat Risky gently removed Dusty's prayer bead necklace and held it up, "You know, I'll never understand what's so great and powerful about these things. They're too small to do any damage to anyone, what's the point?"

As his brother opened his mouth to reply, Old Man Spoil walked up to them, having heard the conversation. He looked at the Risky's, then looked down at the unconscious kitsune, "You don't know that much about the world," he said, breathing a little heavily, "Mikos can use their spiritual energy, special energy that only they and certain other people in this whole world, to do incredible things. With their power, they are able to purify things, places, people...they can seal away evil, they can give people their blessings and good fortune, and they can even give the spirits of the dead, well the ones who are earthbound, the rest they need in order to move on to Heaven," he slowly sat down onto a nearby stump, his trusty lantern still in his hand, "I would be careful not to break those if I were you,"

Fat Risky looked at the beads, then gently placed them into Dusty's hands, "Uh...yeah, sure," he looked back at his shadowless comrade, "Are you okay, Spoil-ossan?"

The old man with the big wound nodded slowly, "Yes...just getting old and tired in my years," he chuckled, "Don't worry about me,"

"Hey, there's something I don't get here!"

Fat Risky turned to his brother, "What?"

Thin Risky scowled and pointed to the unconscious miko/pirate, "If she's got so much special energy and stuff in her arsenal, why doesn't she just use it to kick ass? I mean, if she did have that 'all powerful energy' that you were talking about, ossan, then why is she in this condition?!"

Spoil sighed, "I never said it was 'all powerful', all I said was that it was special. As for why she's turned out like this even though she has that kind of power, it's simple,"

"Oh?"

"Aye," Spoil nodded, "Earlier, I watched her practice her using the spells she keeps on those scrolls, which should be with her still, and I also heard the complaining she did. She's not that strong of a miko, so even though she's trying her best to survive and help her nakama, she got beaten,"

Thin Risky threw his arms into the air, "Oh that's just perfect! What the hell is that crew of hers thinking, having a weak thing like her?"

Fat Risky slugged his brother in the shoulder, "Shut up!"

* * *

Dusty slowly opened her eyes to find herself in a dark, quiet place. Frowning, Dusty slowly moved her hands around to try and find anything that could tell her where she was. Usually in a place like this, all dark and quiet, the floor was usually cold and hard, but her hands felt something soft, warm, and furry.

"Animal skin rug, huh?" the kitsune said quietly, "That's a twist," she scratched her head for a few moments before stopping suddenly. Slowly, she lowered her hand and took a good look at it.

No blood.

No blood at all.

The frown was replaced by a quizzical look, "Wait a minute, this doesn't make sense. I was just fighting a guy who used to be a Rear Admiral in the Marines, he beat me up pretty good, why the hell ain't I covered in my own blood?! Let's see, the last thing I remember was..."

-Flashback-

_Damien looked her over and shook his head, "I don't care whose blood you have or what crew you belong to, woman, you're one of the most pathetic excuses for a pirate I've ever seen. Granted, you held your own against me for a good while, but that's all you ever really did well. You didn't take advantage of your Zoan abilities, you have about the worst miko skills, even compared to a beginner...why the hell Axe recruited you to fight against my captain is beyond me, it makes no sense. Oh well, I suppose there's no sense in worrying about it now, since you're about to die,"_

-End Flashback-

"...sonofabitch actually went and killed me!" Dusty's hand went limp and fell onto the fur as the realization hit home, "I'm...I'm dead. I'm actually...dead!". It took her a few moments, but sure enough, the kitsune broke down and wailed at the top of her lungs. Her hands flew upward and covered her eyes, "Oh God, I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead! I died and I didn't even have a chance to save the others!" she sobbed, "I wasn't able to help anyone and I got killed because I wasn't strong enough! I am...I was weak!!!"

**"Could you please tone it down and stop crying a bit, Dustine? You're sort of giving me a headache,"** a delicate voice asked from the darkness around her, **"You're not dead. At least, not yet, anyway,"**

Spooked by the voice, Dusty stopped crying almost instantly and looked around frantically, "Who's there?!" she demanded, still holding back a few tears, "I said who's there?!"

The voice sighed, **"Just a moment...,"**

Suddenly, the floor under Dusty began to shake and buckle, like something was pushing up from the ground underneath. Shrieking, Dusty couldn't help but roll off as the floor began to slope upward. She didn't roll far and when she came to a stop, she hit her head pretty good on a hard, cold surface.

"Ow, ow, ow...," she winced and rubbed her head, "_That's_ what this thing was missing, me getting a head injury,"

**"Sorry, but I had to adjust myself, I couldn't have you moving around, it's pretty uncomfortable. Oh, how rude of me, you can't see. Just a moment...,"**

As if on cue, the darkness went away and Dusty soon found herself in a well-lit large cave that had walls lined with many torches. The cave was also filled with numerous things such as open chests filled to the brim with glittering treasure, barrels filled with weapons of all kinds, piles of books and scrolls, bags and bags of food, and even large rolls of fine-looking tapestries.

Dusty let out a whistle, "Nice haul! Wait a minute, where are you, I can't see you? Are you invisible?" she reached out in front of her and tried to feel for her unseen acquaintance, "Hello?"

**"I'm not invisible,"**

"Then, are you tiny?" Dusty looked down, "You gotta tell me if you're tiny, because I don't wanna sit down and crush you. Are you tiny?!"

**"No,"**

"If you're not invisible and if you're not tiny...?"

**"I'm right behind you, Dustine. Turn around,"**

Dusty looked over her shoulder and almost instantly, her jaw dropped and hit the cave floor. There, sitting down at the back of the cave, was a huge, beautiful, white fox, staring down at the young pirate with soft, kind eyes. Dusty took a good, hard look at the giant fox, and even though she wasn't that experienced, she could tell that from the aura it was giving off, it was really powerful. So powerful in fact...

**"Do you know who I am, Dustine?"** the fox asked, it's voice echoing in the cave even though it's mouth was not moving.

"I...I have an idea," Dusty nodded slowly, "You are...Inari?"

The fox nodded, **"I am Inari, the Fox Goddess worshipped by the Wakanda Clan of Kinmotsu,"**

Dusty just stared.

Inari blinked a few times, then decided to be the one who spoke, **"I want you to know, Dustine, that I don't hold a grudge against you or your nakama for what you did to the Wakandas back on Kinmotsu. I don't like to hold grudges, especially those who fight the good fight. Granted, the Wakandas were cold-hearted and considered themselves better than most. They let their power, lineage and history corrupt their hearts and minds, and therefore their power was weakend, which is why you and your nakama were able to conquer them,"**

Dusty just kept staring.

**"...I brought you here, to my domain in the Spirit World for a reason, Dustine. I know who you are fighting for, and I know who you're fighting against. I also know the injuries you've sustained in your battle for nakama. Dustine, you cannot win against the Raven in your current state,"**

Dusty just kept on staring some more.

**"Alright, stop staring and actually say something, the staring is getting a little annoying,"** Inari growled, her eye twitching.

"Huh? Oh, right, sorry!" Dusty shook her head a few times, "I didn't mean to stare, this is the first time I ever met a Goddess...well, a real one anyway. Gotta admit, you're intimidating, Inari-sama,"

Inari seemed to smile, **"All the major spirts and deities are, even if they don't mean to be,"**

"Oh...okay," Dusty's ears twitched a few times.

**"But seriously, you are unable to claim victory over the Raven in your current state of mind and body,"**

Dusty lowered her head, hiding her face, "No kidding. I was barely able to even injure the guy, Inari-sama, I got at least one good slice into him, but it wasn't that deep. I tried, I really did, but all I did was just dance around him. I wasn't fast enough to use my miko magic, I wasn't fast enough to land any major blows to him, and when he got a hold of me, he beat the living crap out of me!" she brought her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around them, "He was right, I _am_ pathetic,"

Inari just looked down at her, silent as death.

"Most of the time I've been with the others, I've had to have someone come and bail me out of trouble. I always get abducted, I always get beat down...," Dusty's ears went flat, "What good am I here?"

The Fox Goddess blinked a few times, then lay down, stretching her body outward and resting her head just inches from Dusty, **"You are not pathetic, Dustine. You are a very important person, especially to your nakama,"**

"...no, I'm not,"

**"Yes, you _are_,"** Inari said firmly, **"Granted you get into trouble quite a few times, but in this world and this Era, who doesn't? Regarding your strength...,"** Inari was quite for a few moments, **"...not everyone can be inhumanly strong and achieve victory in every single confrontation they get. Everyone is weaker than someone at one point or another in their lives, but that's not always a bad thing,"**

Dusty lifted her head and peeked out at the Goddess in front of her.

**"If a person is weak in a certain way, and they lose, at anything, they can become stronger because of that loss. I've been watching you for a long time, Dustine, and I know what you've gone through in your life. I feel for the losses you've experienced in your life, both on and off the battlefield. Haven't you noticed a change in yourself? Your father's death made you train to become strong enough to travel the oceans of the world, your dream made you strong enough and brave enough to go out into the world and pursue it, and finally, the love and friendship you share with your nakama has given you the strength to make it this far! If you were weak, you wouldn't have been able to save your nakama in the Desert Kingdom, you wouldn't have been able to avenge your father, and you wouldn't have been able to fight against enemies from the New World. You may lose more than most, Dustine, but you are a very strong young woman, and you still have so much to learn,"**

"..."

**"This battle so far, you've only hit an obstacle, something that you're quite familiar with. Every other obstacle you've faced, you've triumphed because you are strong, stronger than they could ever be. This incident with your captain, this island, this Raven that you fight...think of it as a test, Dustine. Think about how you first started out in your journeys, then think about what you've done since then. See yourself as what you truly are, and see just how far you've come since you began!"**

Dusty remained silent for a few moments before lifting her head all the way out from behind her legs and looked straight into Inari's eyes.

"If I'm so strong, Inari-sama, then why did I get my ass kicked so easily?" she asked quietly, "Hm?"

Inari tilted her head, **"I cannot say for sure, Dustine. Perhaps you need to train yourself,"**

"I do! I train my body like crazy and-,"

**"You hardly train your miko skills,"** Inari cut her off, **"It's good for a miko to have a strong body, it allows her to defend herself when she is unable to use her magic, but what if she is unable to use her physical strength, what does she have to defend herself with if her magic isn't honed?"** she held up a paw as Dusty opened her mouth, **"You may still feel resentment in your heart for the blood you carry in your veins, the blood that gives you the power of a miko, but if you are really wanting to become strong in that particular area, then you must train yourself diligently in the miko arts. You may still practice your show skills and your physical traits, but you'll have to give extra time to your miko magic if you want to be able to win against other things in the world as you continue your journey,"**

"Look, I know what you're saying, Inari-sama, but it's not like I can right now!" Dusty shot to her feet, "My body's beaten to a pulp, I'm here in the Spirit World, and even if I can rejoin with my body, it's not like I'll have a whole lot of time to practice! If I go back, and if I even can get back on my feet, that bird bastard's not gonna give me anytime to do anything. As soon as he finds me, he'll swoop down and finish me off! I want to be able to become stronger and to help my friends, but I'm really, really screwed here!"

**"Hmm,"** Inari nodded slowly, **"You have a good point there, Dustine, a very good point. Still, you'll have to go back, you cannot stay here,"** she rose to all fours, to her full height, **"I will send you back to the World of the Living myself-,"**

"I'm just gonna come back dead in a few minutes!"

Inari's eye twitched, **"I will send you back to the World of the Living myself, but I will give you a gift before you leave,"**

Dusty's eyes lit up, "Are you going to give me the power of a God so I can own that bird bastard in three seconds flat?!" she asked excitedly.

Inari gave her a dead stare, **"No, Dustine, I'm not. At least not the power of a God. What I am going to give you though is a new skill. It is low-level, I want you to know that, but if you are able to use it correctly, you'll be able to help save your nakama,"**

* * *

Fat Risky looked up at the sky as small droplets of water fell from the thick clouds above, "Aw, damn, it's starting to rain. Just what we need, a storm...,"

His brother picked his ear, "Bro, we've had worse things happen to us, don't complain about rain because you're afraid to get wet,"

"He's right," Spoil reached down and turned the shutters down on his lantern to protect the flame from going out, "We've suffered at the hands of Moria and the Blood Countess' crew, we don't need to get upset over some rain,"

Fat Risky opened his mouth to speak, but let out a yelp when he watched Dusty bolt upright, her eyes wide as dinner plates.

Thin and Spoil were just as surprised as he was when they saw Dusty not only regain consciousness, but rise to her feet after collecting her things.

The old man with the big wound rose, "Please, young lady, you must rest, you've suffered harsh injuries!"

Breathing heavily, Dusty looked at Spoil for a moment before walking off, "I'll rest when I'm dead, ossan. Right now, I got some unfinished business to take care of!"

* * *

**Spirit World**

Inari lay back down, resting her head on her paws, her eyes closing, **"I gave you passage back to the World of the Living as well as a new ability, Dustine. I leave the rest to you...good luck,"**

* * *

"Damn this rain," Damien muttered angrily as he made a landing in the Forest, his feathers soaked, "I hate my flight time being cut off because of the goddamn weather," he thought for a few moments before grinning, "A navigator capable of becoming a bird that hates bad weather because it limits him and his flying...ironic," he murmured as he folded his wings behind his back, "I'll just wait it out, shouldn't last long,"

"Yeah, well, neither will you, you bastard...,"

"Heh...that didn't take long," Damien slowly turned around to see Dusty standing about ten feet away from him, "Miss Wenata, I'm _so_ glad to see you up and about,"

"Yeah, can the bullshit, birdboy, I know you don't mean it," Dusty reached behind her back and pulled out Damien's missing Wheel, "Here, this belongs to you," she hissed, tossing it to him.

The male Zoan caught it easily and looked at it for a moment before looking at Dusty, "Not only are you back up and challenging me again, but you give me back my weapon. I must say, that's not very smart of you,"

Dusty held up a hand and gave him the middle finger, "Fuck off, boyo. I'm not here to chat, I'm just here to kick your ass!"

"Oh really?" Damien grinned, "Just how do you plan to do that? You look as though you're about to keel over,"

While that was true, Dusty did her best to stay on her feet and not show the fatigue and injuries taking effect on her body.

"Whatever, it's time to get this over with!" Dusty held up her necklace of prayer beads, which were already glowing a bright pink color.

Damien raised an eyebrow, "You're actually using that power now? No matter...," he gripped his Wheels, "You've already tried to use your miko magic on me before and that didn't work, what makes you think it'll work this time around?"

"Because I know this one will work no matter what!" Dusty pulled her arm back and threw the necklace of beads hard, straight at Damien. The Zoan was about to intercept and slice the necklace apart when, to his surprise, the necklace shattered into many pieces by itself and disappeared from his view. He frowned, "What the-?"

Dusty grinned, "Here we go...," she clenched a fist as numerous glowing orbs filled the area around Damien, completely surrounding him, _"Ring of Inari's Imperial Purity!"_ **(1)**

The former Rear Admiral lowered his Wheels and looked around him to find each and every one of the prayer beads from Dusty's shattered necklace were floating in mid-air around him. There wasn't much room between him and the beads, maybe six feet at best, and each bead seemed to pulsate with Dusty's spiritual energy. Damien was just about to move towards one part of the supposed ring when he stopped and frowned, "...the hell?"

"Ooooh, what's the matter? Not feeling good? Feeling a bit off?" Dusty tilted her head, sounding sympathetic, "I guess I should have warned you...," she clicked her tongue, "The ring? It's got this special effect on _certain_ people,"

"W...," Damien shook his head slowly, "What?"

"Yeah...," Dusty nodded, "You see, on normal humans, it wouldn't have any effect on them whatsoever, but with people who ate Devil Fruits, that's when it takes effect. The spiritual energy in each bead isn't that great alone, but when all the beads of my prayer necklace is charged and forms the barrier that's surrounding you right now, it has the effect to weaken Devil Fruit users, although it looks like it doesn't force you to your human form. I dunno the full details about Zoan forms, I'm still knew with this. You may have been stronger and faster than me before, Damien, but with this thing around you, I'd say we're just about on an even playing field. Well, maybe not just yet...," she pulled off her pack and the rest of her gear and tossed them to the side, "I'll show you the real power of a fox! _Kouyran Kyuubi no Kitsune: Kyuubi!!!_"

Damien watched as Dusty began to grow in size, her eyes turning a brilliant golden color while her pupils became slits. Her hair became longer, and her muscles became larger. The ground underneath her feet seemed to be crack and sink under her increasing weight. As she finished changing, she looked at her weakened victim and cracked her neck loudly, the sound of bones snapping echoing around them, "I'm _really_ gonna enjoy this...,"

* * *

"What the hell was she thinking?" Lola frowned and drummed her knee in thought, "She shouldn't have run off like that, she's too injured to any fighting! She's gonna get herself killed!"

Fat Risky scratched his head, "I dunno, Captain, but she just got up and walked off...,"

"Found me and took that weird blade wheel I was holding onto as well...," Lola shook her head, "There's something wrong in that head of hers! Only an idiot goes off with injuries like that!"

Thin Risky nodded, "Either that or a crazy person,"

"Or both," his brother agreed, nodding as well.

* * *

"Oh, man, this feels so good! I can't believe I haven't gone to this form since Kinmotsu!" Dusty brought a large, fur-covered fist down onto Damien's head while her other hand was holding onto her opponent, making sure he didn't go anywhere, especially outside the glowing ring from the force of the impact of her blows, "This feels fantastic!"

The rain was coming down harder now and both Zoan's were completely soaked in blood and water, mud caking their feet and legs. Damien suffered another couple of fierce blows from Dusty's enlarged fists, unable to move and unable to use his Devil Fruit and fly away to safety. The former Rear Admiral tried to think of his current predicament between punches.

_I don't understand this! How is that I, a man who was just beating her to an inch of her life a short time ago, gets his ass handed to him so easily! It's bad enough that she's using this bizarre form to keep me here, but it's even more humiliating to use her so called magic to make my Devil Fruit almost useless!_ a thought suddenly hit him, _Wait a minute!! How the hell is she still fighting me like that, and in that form, while I'm barely able to do a goddamn thing?! Shouldn't she be unable to do anything like me all the same?!_

"What's the matter, birdboy, cat got your tongue?!" Dusty paused in her beatings, "You look worse than you did before!"

Damien shot her a deathglare, "Fuck off, you freak!"

Dusty let out what sounded like a cross between a roar and a laugh, which was barely heard over a thunderclap, "Still got that attitude, don't ya, birdboy?! That's good, it shows me that you still got some fire in ya!" she gripped him by the shoulders and lifted him over her head, "Good to know that the rain didn't put it out, it wouldn't be as fun if you just gave up!" she cried as she slammed the enemy Zoan hard into the mud below her. Mud went flying upward as Damien landed with a sickening smack on the wet, soft ground of Thriller Bark, the dark, slick goo splattering against Dusty's blood covered body. Damien winced as a great pain shot through his body. Even though the rainfall made the ground into mud, therefore making the ground softer, he still felt a large amount of pain from the impact. As if beating him and then throwing him down wasn't bad enough, Dusty did him one more by planting an enlarged foot on his torso and began to press down slowly. Damien grit his teeth as more and more pain coursed through him while Dusty's weight pressed him down into the mud beneath her feet. The Zoan could actually feel himself sinking into the earth with each passing second.

_This is **impossible**!_ the ex-Rear Admiral thought angrily as the sound of bones snapping filled his ears, followed by even more pain from his torso, _This bitch! She's kicking my ass...my ass! How the hell can a pathetic little girl like this be capable of this kind of power?!_

"That's it, taste the mud, you prick!" Dusty growled as she twisted her foot slowly, adding more pressure and pain to Damien's already battered body, "You feel that, huh? HUH? YOU FEEL THAT PAIN?!" she raised her foot and stomped on him a few times, pushing him deeper and deeper into the ground, "That's the pain that my nakama and I share because of you and your bitch of a captain! That's the pain that my captain's felt for years, all because of her! HOW THE FUCK DO YOU LIKE IT, YOU FUCKIN' ASSHOLE?!"

The canine Zoan stopped her stomping, waiting for Damien's replyl, waiting to hear his pitiful please for help...but there was nothing.

Damien had stopped moving.

Growling, Dusty pulled her mud and blood covered foot out of the ground and looked at the half-buried enemy beneath her.

"Aw, I think I _broke_ him...," Dusty cackled, reaching down and grabbing him by the head. With little effort, she pulled him out of his oozing grave and held him up to eye level to get a good look at him. His body was ravaged, she couldn't exactly see the bruises from her attacks thanks to his feathers, but she knew she had must have broken at least a couple of them. She laughed again, "Yep, looks like I broke him! Broke him _good_...!"

She was about to throw him into the ground one final time when Damien's eyes flashed open and a split second later, his arms swung in a scissor-like motion, his bird talon hands still gripping his Wind and Fire Wheels! The bladed rings sliced into Dusty's arm deep and the female Zoan let out an angry roar before dropping her prey. Damien hit the ground and took off like a shot into the forest, despite his injuries. As he ran, Damien winced and grit his teeth again as the pain from his injuries impeded on his escape attempt. Normally, he'd be far faster than any ordinary pirate, even this woman, but thanks to the massive beating he received, his speed had decreased dramatically! After testing them out for a few seconds, Damien pushed off the ground and flew into the air, his wings still able to function well enough to get him away out of range. He didn't care if it was raining, he didn't care if he wasn't able to go as high as the clouds, just as long as he could get out of that beast's range, he was happy.

Holding her bleeding arm, Dusty watched him fly off, "You think you can get away from me, you sonofabitch?!" she roared, her blood dropping and mixing into the mud below, "You really think you can get away from me?! Hehe...just found your weakness...stupid asshole!"

In the air, Damien did his best to head back to the mansion in spite of the weather and his injuries.

_I have to get back and tell the others! I have to get back and tell the others what I've found out!_ he coughed a little and yelped as pain shot through his chest, making him falter for a brief moment, _These...these kids aren't to be underestimated! They're stronger than we thought, they have power...they actually have the power to challenge us! I have to warn them all!_

"THIS IS A NO FLY ZONE, MOTHERFUCKER!"

Damien screamed as a heavy weight plowed into him, the sensation of sharp objects digging into his already worn out body. Dusty had not only found him again, but she had managed to jump high enough into the sky to ram into him, and now the two of them were falling out of the sky. Damien glared daggers at the beast that was latched onto him and tried to claw her, tried to beat her off of him, but she was holding on too tightly, and her weight was still dragging him down. His mind raced with options and although he hated the idea, he knew what he had to do to try and survive. Using what strength he had left, he stopped trying to attack the kitsune and instead used that strength to regain and maintain his flight path.

"Do you really think you can make it back to your precious Countess?" Dusty growled as the two of them bounced and zig-zagged through the sky, "You actually think I'd let you get back to your home base?!"

"Do you really think you and your nakama will make it off this island alive?!" Damien screamed back over a thunderclap, "When we're through with you, you're all gonna be dead and left to rot on this island!"

_I don't think so, bitch!_ Dusty reached up and grabbed one of Damien's wings.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

"You think you're the only Zoan user I've come across who ate a bird fruit?" Dusty smiled darkly, "I know a guy who can turn into a much more noble bird than you, Blood Raven, and I know from that time how he was beaten so easily by a woman...I'm gonna see just how she felt when she brought him down!" she reached over, grabbed his other wing and yanked hard.

Pain, far more excruciating than he had felt before this moment, not only shot through Damien's entire body, but it ensured Dusty's victory...

* * *

"I have to admit, I had my doubts about coming to this place, but ever since I have, I've had a very interesting time," Eva thought aloud as she looked out a large window in one of the mansion's many halls, "I've seen unknowing family, I've seen impressive spirits of mere pirates and their strength, and I've even seen a bunch of freaks...and knowing who I know, that's saying something," she smiled coldly and tapped her chin idly, "Then there's the little incident earlier with the girl. I'm excited, I just can't wait to see what happens ne-," she stopped in midsentence when a large, dark form sped down past the window, "...what the hell was_ that_?"

Pressing herself against the window, Eva tried to see what had fallen, but when she was unable to find it, she did the next best thing to help her do so. Grabbing a candlestick from a nearby table, she broke away a large portion of the window and eased herself out onto the ledge to get a better look. It took her a couple of moments, but then she saw what had fallen like a stone past the window.

Damien, the Blood Raven and navigator of the Bloodless Vampires. He had fallen from the sky and was now laying face-up on a ledge of the mansion below, a large, iron spike sticking out of his torso. He was still alive, that was for certain, but Eva could only imagine the amount of pain he must have been experiencing at that moment. She crossed her arms and leaned against the window, looking down at him, "Well, well, well...now this is interesting, isn't it? All that's missing is a bolt of lightning to come down and-,"

A bright flash of light filled the sky, temporarily blinding Eva as thunder boomed overhead. Rubbing her eyes, she cursed under her breath, "Dammit all to Hell and back!"

A new smell reached her nose, a smell that was mixed in with the smell of fresh rain. Opening her eyes, Eva could see what the source of that smell was coming from. Whatever divine entity resided in the universe, it seemed to have heard her "wish" and sent a lightning bolt down and struck the very spike that Damien lay impaled on. The Blood Raven was totally motionless, with his body smoking and burns covering many parts of his body, adding to the damage done to him. However, he was still alive, somehow. Unconscious, but alive.

* * *

At that very moment, Dusty collapsed at some point in the Dead Forest, having reverted to her original physical form. She was exhausted, but then again, who wouldn't be? She had had used that Kyuubi technique at least once before, but when she used it the first time, she had only used it with a few other techniques against her uncle Zev. This time around, she had suffered harsh injuries that wore her body out far worse than before. With what little strength she had left, she rolled herself over onto her back and looked up at the sky, letting the raindrops fall onto her face.

She gave a weak smile as her vision began to fade, "Now who's pathetic, you sonofabitch? Now who's...path...etic...,"

Dusty was out like a light.

* * *

**Spirit World**

Inari couldn't help but chuckle as the lights in her cave began to dim, **"Well done, Dustine, well done,"**

* * *

**Kilnorc: Oh MAN, that was a hard chapter! I actually had to ask for help from my friends to figure out what move Dusty could pull to turn the tides in the battle with Damien, hehe. My thanks to Dragon's-Maidens, Fire-Thief and SuperHurricane for their input and ideas (although I had to tweak one or two). Thanks you guys, you gave me tons of help here, and I dedicate this chapter to you! Things may have seem a bit iffy here, like the exact limits and effects with Dusty's new Ring spell, but since it's a new thing and she's a newbie miko, the exact details aren't all worked out yet, although I will work on that!**

**(1)**_ **Ring of Inari's Imperial Purity**_**- Dusty pools her spiritual energy into each one of the beads on her prayer necklace. The beads seperate from each other and hover around the intended target, acting as a soft of barrier. It has no effect on normal humans, but for Devil Fruit users, it dampens/restricts their abilities. EXACT details of this are not fully known yet. Thanks to SuperHurricane for suggesting the basic idea and telling me of an anime that gave me the visual aid, and thanks to DJ Paynter for helping me with the name.**

**On the next chapter of Endless Nightmare...**

**Isaac: Oh, where the hell am I now?!**

**??: I want those two.**

**Theo: What the hell did you just do, meatbag?**

**??: Everyone has to concentrate, or they'll lose control.**

**Today's Main Course: Tenryuubito!**

**Theo: GET IN MY BELLY!!!**

**Kilnorc: Yeah, you can all make your Fat Bastard jokes now, I KNOW you want to. Also, for the record, that bit in the flashback with the other Commodore? Yeah, it's a collobrative idea that gambit508 and I are working on, and that claw wielding commodore is HIS OC, NOT mine, so those of you who who can guess who he is based off of... -waves- ...that's all him, not me.  
**


	30. Today's Main Course: Tenryuubito!

**Today's Main Course: Tenryuubito!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, and Crazy-Fishie owns Isaac among others in this chapter...sorta.**

**Kilnorc: Okay, this and the chapter afterward are the last two major good guys vs BVs fights I'm gonna do in the fic for a little bit, since I want to get some other stuff done before other fights happen. Just thought I'd give you all a heads up -hums Caramelldansen- Catchy catchy!  
**

* * *

**_"God sends meat and the Devil sends cooks"_ - Thomas Deloney**

_Oh man, what I wouldn't give to be back home on the ship with the others right now!_ Isaac thought desperately as he darted through the Dead Forest of Thriller Bark, slipping on mud every now and then, _I swear, I'm gonna have nightmares about this place for years!_

The rogue Tenryuubito had been forced from the mansion during the chase between him and the lardass cannibal, Theo Gaine, and after a very brief exit out of a window, followed by a very lucky landing in a large patch of soft mud that cushioned his fall, Isaac found himself somewhere in the forest that covered the island. Looking back at the mansion, Isaac tried to determine whether or not he was in front of the large building, or behind it, but the dark air, as well as the pouring rain made it nearly impossible for him to determine a rough location for himself. Legs burning, Isaac kept running for another ten or so yards before coming to a complete halt. His lungs burning, Isaac took refuge behind a large tree and slid down onto the ground, not caring if the ground was soaked or not, as long as he could have some rest before fatass and ugly found him, he was happy.

_Hahaha...that's the second time you lost me, you lardass!_ Isaac chuckled to himself, I'm what you call fast food! the grin disappeared as he realized what he had just thought, "Aw, man, that was a lame joke...really lame. Just glad I didn't say that aloud, and I'm also glad Taeko wasn't here to hear it...or to be here to hear me talking to myself,"

The blonde pirate sat under the large tree, listening to the rain and feeling it fall onto his head as he tried to get his energy back. He tried to think back to the relaxing techniques he had learned from various teachers in the past to help him calm down from all the excitement and terror he had been experiencing.

_Breathe in..._ he took a deep breath, feeling his diaphragm being sucked inward, _....and breathe out..._ he let out a quiet breath and repeated the process. Everyone used their diaphragms in breathing, but he knew how to use his well when it came to breathing exercises. Compared to most, his could look more freakish, but was actually quite normal. As he repated the breathing exercises over and over a few times, he began to not only feel his body return to normal. Within a short time, about five minutes at the very least, his heart wasn't racing as much and his lungs didn't burn anymore.

"Okay, I'm good now!" Isaac clapped softly and pulled a knee up, placing his arm between him and his face, propping it up with his hand, "I'm alone, and I'm currently being hunted by a gigantic lardass who loves to feast on human flesh and has recently tasted my own blood," he reached down and felt the wound from before, which had now almost completely healed up, "Well, I'm just about back on my prime state of body and mind, I suppose, and unless I run into some help here soon, I'm gonna have to do something about this guy. Either I can lose him and hope he runs into someone else, or I'll have to take him on alone," he closed his eyes and frowned, "But if I lose him and he does go after someone else, then that person would be in danger just like I am, and there's a chance they wouldn't survive as long as I have so far," he tapped his cheekbone idly, "Problem is that if I do take him on alone, there's not much of what I need here, but there's a not-so-surprising abundance of what I don't need around here, and if I go with the latter, it'll put me in a bad place if I push it too far, but then again if I use what little of the other I have with me, I'll have to resort to my very own and that'll produce the same result, although not as quickly. Hmmm...what to do, what to do,"

"...h-help...,"

Isaac cracked an eye open, "Huh?" he slowly scanned the area in front of him, "Did I just...?" he scratched his head, "Nah, just nerves,"

"...h-he...help...me...please!"

_Okay, I didn't imagine **that**!_ Isaac's eyes darted back and forth, "Hello?" he rose to his feet, putting on his guard should things turn bad, "Someone there? If you are, let me know where!"

"U-Up he...here...,"

Isaac craned his neck backward and looked up, only to immediately wish he hadn't. There, hanging in the higher branches of the tree he was resting under, were about ten or even twenty people! Strong, thick rope wrapped around their bodies (or what was left of them), keeping them suspended from the ground below. Isaac's eyes went as wide as they've probably ever gone, possibly ever wider than that. The people, if he could even call them that anymore, were looking like piece of meat in a butcher shop: pieces of, or entire limbs were missing on some of them, some of them had most of their bodies flayed, and some were just pieces of dead flesh, limbless and headless.

The Tenryuubito had to hold back vomit. A hand flew to cover his mouth as he stared at the horrors that were hanging just above him.

"Oh, where the _hell_ am I _now_?!" he gulped and turned to the tree, "Okay, just hang on, I'll get you down, just don't die on me!"

_Man, I just can't believe this place's messed up level..._ the blonde thought as he began to scale the tree, _...and here I thought a certain group of mangroves was screwed up!_

-Flashback-

**Five Years Ago...**

_Isaac silently took a special seat that was among a handful of others that were reserved for him and his family. Today, he and his half-sister Mary were accompanying their uncle to one of the many Auction Houses in the Shabondy Archipelago. Aside from other Tenryuubito, they were the only ones who wore elegant clothing, a canister of oxygen on their backs and a large Yarukiman bubble that encircled their heads entirely. His uncle reached over and handed something out to him, "Here,"_

_He looked down to see a small paddle marked with a number._

_"Why don't you join me in today's auction, Isaac?" his uncle grinned cruelly, "Maybe you'll get lucky and get yourselves a couple of beautiful wives today?"_

_"Uh, oh...thank you, Uncle," Isaac said quietly, taking the paddle, "Let's hope," he chuckled lightly before turning to his half-sister, a cute young woman with a head of blonde hair that just about matched his shade. A small amount of her hair covered a distinctive birthmark from sight. He leaned over, "Are you okay, Mary?" he whispered._

_She looked at him and nodded, "Oh yes, of course, onii-chan, I'm fine!"_

_"Be quiet you two, it's about to start!" their uncle urged them, gripping his own paddle with enthusiasm, "Let's hope there's something good here today!"_

_The auction began as the lights went off and the announcer began to call off the captured men and women brought in from slaver gangs to the stage. Either singular, in groups of two, or even groups of four or more, the captured slaves either shuffled forward, having already surrendered to the fate that lay before them, or they put up a decent fight, not quite ready to surrender their lives to the people who would buy them like objects. Throughout the entire auction, Isaac and his sister watched as slaves were bought by wealthy men and women all around them, and their uncle watched as many beauties were taken away while Isaac made no attempt to purchase them._

_Frowning, the older Tenryuubito leaned over to the boy, "What is wrong with you, Isaac?" he hissed, "There's plenty of exotic creatures here, and even some strong looking ones that'll carry you on their backs, but you haven't made one call! Did you forgetting the going rates?"_

_"No, Uncle, I just-," Isaac was cut off as his uncle thrust a sheet of paper in front of his face. The young man took the paper and looked at it for a moment._

**HUMAN TRADING**

**Acceptable Goods Include Criminals And  
Citizens of Non-World Government Countries**

**-STANDARD AUCTION STARTING PRICES-**

**HUMAN - 500,000 BELI**

**DWARVES - 700,000 BELI**

**MINKMEN -700,000 BELI  
**

**LONGARMS - 700,000 BELI  
**

**LONGLEGS - 700,000 BELI  
**

**SNAKENECKS -700,000 BELI  
**

**FISHMEN - 1,000,000 BELI  
**

**GIANTS  
- (MALE) 50,000,000 BELI  
- (FEMALE) 10,000,000 BELI  
**

**MERFOLK  
- (FEMALE) 70,000,000 BELI  
- (MALE) 1,000,000 BELI  
- (PARTED FEMALE) 10,000,000 BELI  
**

**DEVIL FRUIT USERS - MARKET PRICE**

_"Don't worry about money, Isaac, we have more than enough money,"_

_Isaac cleared his throat and tucked the sheet away, "Thanks for the heads up, Uncle,"_

_Finally, the auction began to wind down and the last two slaves were about to be presented. The auctioneer made a big deal about them for some reason, and when they were brought on stage together, Isaac could see why, and he could also see why many of the men (even married men) began to hoot and call like wild animals. One of them was a dark-skinned young woman wearing tan clothing and a hat that matched, perched atop of her head of short golden hair. She was good looking, Isaac had to admit that, the same went with her apparent friend. She was another young woman, taller than the dark-skinned one, with flowing white hair, wearing a black hat. The two of them just stared outward resentfully at the audience in front of them, staying as close together as possible. Now, he couldn't see that far, but Isaac could swear they were holding each other's hands._

_"Alright, alright!" the auctioneer walked up to the women, stepping over the chains that connected their manacles and their special collars that were clasped around their necks, "Today, we've sold dancers, we've sold servants, we've even served teachers and mothers, but the final items for bid today are pirates! Not only that, but they're some of the hottest looking lady pirates I've ever seen in my life!" he turned to the dark-skinned one, "You got a lovely rack, my dear, how do you keep from tipping over, they're so large!"_

_The enslaved pirate shot a sly grin and a few seconds later, she rammed her knee upward, straight into the auctioneer's family jewels. The audience erupted into laughter as the auctioneer went down, holding his wounded...pride. Isaac's uncle was among those laughing their heads off. The older Tenryuubito pounded the armrest of his chair, tears actually showing in the corner of his eyes, "Such beauty and with a fiery personality to boot!" he reached up, his hand passing through the bubble helmet of his, and wiped away the oncoming tears, "She'd be fun to break in!" he grabbed his paddle and was about to raise it upward when something grabbed his arm._

_"Uncle, wait. I want those two,"_

_The older Tenryuubito turned to his nephew, "You want them **both**, Isaac?"_

_Isaac nodded and shot him a grin, "You said yourself I could buy a couple of wives today, right?" he rose from his seat and held up his paddle, "20,000,000 Beli for the both of them!!!" he called out loudly over the roaring laughter._

* * *

_"Thank for your business!" one of the employees of the Auction House bowed deeply to Isaac as the two women were handed over to him, "Please, DO come again soon, Isaac-sama!"_

_Isaac's uncle came up from behind and slapped Isaac on the back as the younger male took the chains in his hands, "Nice pickings, my boy, nice pickings indeed! Why don't you let the guards escort your lovely new friends to the ship and-,"_

_"Actually, Uncle," Isaac interrupted him and turned around, "I was kind of hoping to go to lunch and maybe walk around," he held up the chains, "I'd love to show the others my prizes from today's auction,"_

_Again, his uncle laughed and nodded, "Very well. Take your time, but meet us back at the ship before nightfall," he turned around, "Come along, Mary, let's leave Isaac to his toys,"_

_"Ah, u-uhm, Uncle...," Mary looked up at him from behind her blonde bangs, "I w-was actually...hoping to go with onii-chan, if that's okay with you?"_

* * *

_After getting away from their uncle, Mary and Isaac led the newly bought slave-women to a less populated area of the city, behind one of the larger buildings. Isaac looked them over for a few minutes, trying to ignore the glare he was getting from the one with the large chest. When he was done checking them over, he stepped back, rejoining his sister._

_"What are your names?" he asked calmly._

_The two women glanced at each other._

_"Please? I don't mean any negative feelings or intent to either of you, I just acted that way in front of my uncle. He's a bit of a-,"_

_"Bastard?" the chesty pirate woman cut in, raising an eyebrow._

_Isaac cleared his throat, "Yes, exactly. I want you both to know that neither myself, nor my sister," he gestured to Mary, "...are anything like him. Believe it or not, unlike the rest of our 'exclusive group', we're actually good people. Now, please, what are your names?"_

_The groin-kicker sighed and closed her eyes, "My name is Veda D. Kagura," she jerked her head to her friend, "This is Noir,"_

_"Thank you," Isaac gave a short nod, "My name is Isaac Jizabel, and this is my half-sister, Mary Jizabel. Now, I want you to know the reasons why I...why I, uhm...,"_

_"You can go on and say it," Noir tilted her head, "Purchased us slavegirls,"_

_Again, Isaac cleared his throat, "Like I said before, nothing of ill will to either of you. Our uncle thinks that I plan to make you my wives, to make you obey my every command, and...," he trailed off, "Look, the point is, I just want to know about you two,"_

_"Oh yeah?" Kagura tried to fold her arms, despite the chains, "Why's that?"_

_"Because, pirates intrigue me," Isaac said with a simple shrug, "Many of the unfortunate souls that I...acquire," he said that last word slowly, "...are pirates who were captured by bounty hunters and slavers. While other servants to the Tenryuubito are forced to cook, clean, be used as living transportation, or as...well, no delicate way to put this, but sex slaves with some, I only want to hear what they have to say. I've spent hours listening to their stories of the high seas, running away from Marine battleships, bounty hunters, all kinds of things, and the more I listen to them, the more and more I'm fascinated by them. Still, no matter how many stories I listened to, I cannot figure out something,"_

_"Which is?"_

_"Why in the world many people go off in search of treasures like they do? Many of them are killed at sea, many are captured, many are arrested and executed, and some get sold off as slaves," Isaac shook his head slowly, "I just don't quite understand it. What drives you?"_

_Kagura sighed and held up a hand, "First off, I'm not a pirate,"_

_"No?"_

_"Nuh-uh," she shook her head, "I'm a botanist," she pointed to Noir, "She is a pirate. We just met together in the holding cells," she let out a short, dry laugh, "Nothing brings two women closer together than being abducted and held for human auction,"_

_"Oh...," Isaac blinked a few times, then turned to Noir, "So...?"_

_Noir took one look at him and leaned against the back of the building, smiling a little, "It's not exactly easy to explain, Jizabel. Some questions cannot be answered by words, but with actual experience,"_

_"What do you mean, exactly?"_

-End Flashback-

_Just when I think I see some of the worst evils in this world, I come across something as horrible as this place..._ Isaac thought as he gently laid the barely living person he had seen hanging from the tree above him. Kneeling down, he took a quick look at the man's body, "Okay, just stay with me, you have to stay with me! I can help you, but you've got to hold on, okay, hold on!"

The barely living, a man in his mid-thirties, was breathing loudly and slowly, his body covered in dozens of cuts, bruises and in even some parts of his body, large patches of flesh were missing, blood caked on his body. He reached up and grabbed Isaac by the collar, "I...I was...up there...for days!" he wheezed, "The butcher...he's a monster...,"

"I know, I know that he is, I've met him a few times," Isaac grabbed the man's arm, "Listen carefully, I need you to be still and to be quiet, okay? Save your breath, don't waste it on talking, okay?! I can help you-,"

The man let out what sounded like a cough, "Naw...you can't help me, kid, I'm already gone. Listen to me...," he grunted and winced loudly as he pushed himself off the muddy ground, "...you gotta get out of here, before he finds you here! This...this is where he hangs his meat...until he's ready to cook it...to cook us!" he gripped Isaac's shoulder tightly, "Please, forget about me!"

"Like Hell I will!" Isaac growled, "You have a name?"

"J...Jim...," the dying man said weakly, "Get out of here and let me die...you can't save me, it's pointless!"

"Dammit Jim, I'm a doctor, I'm not gonna let someone die like this!" Isaac closed his eyes and held out his hands, "Hang on, dammit, hang on!"

**(Author's Note: I apologize to all the _Star Trek_ fans out there for this somewhat lame quote/reference...)**

A short time later, Isaac reached over and silently closed Jim's blank eyes, then bowed his head in respect for the dead. He had tried everything he could in the short amount of time that was given to him, but even with his skills, the man was too late to be saved.

"I'm so sorry," the rogue Tenryuubito whispered, "I'm so sorry you had to die in this God forsaken place. While I can't turn back the clock, I can make sure that fatass is going to pay!" he swore under his breath.

Almost instantly, as if on cue, the ground began to shake a little bit and the sound of very heavy footsteps reached Isaac's ears. Without even turning around, Isaac knew who had just arrived. He clenched his fists in anger and rose to his feet, keeping his back to the abomination behind him.

Theo grinned wickedly, "Making friends, meatbag?" he scoffed, beads of rain rolling down the many fatty folds of flesh that covered his body, "Don't worry about him or the others, you'll be joining them soon enough in the afterlife," the heavily obese cannibal chef held up a pair of all too familiar weapons, "You've already met my toys...now come and greet 'em!"

Isaac turned and glared pure hatred at Theo, his eyes showing off a disturbing look of intent as he stared the enormous cannibal down.

"Haha...what's with that look, punk?" Theo sneered, "You wanna take me on?" he looked at the dead man behind Isaac, "You wanna 'make me pay' for his death? You're more than welcome to try, boy, but just let me remind you that ever since you've been here, ever since you've met me, you've been running your ass off, screaming like a little girl! You haven't made an attempt to battle me once, and I have a hunch that you don't even know how to really fight, so what the hell makes you even think that you can-,"

_"Drago Fetta,"_ **(1)**

Theo's eyes widened a little and the fatman jumped a good five feet off the muddy ground to avoid a number of glowing, white disks that flew through the air beneath him. Said disks soared through the forest, cutting deeply into a good number of trees behind him. Theo landed on his feet and looked back at the damage as the disks disappeared into the darkness. Scowling, he snapped his head back towards Isaac, "What the hell did you just do, meatbag?!"

"I decided that it's time to stop running and to deliver the just punishment you deserve, you fat fuck!" Isaac seethed, "I may not be someone with immense physical strength, or someone with a body that can't be damaged so easily, but I have my own skills to get me by," he calmly held out his arms, "I have a unique ability, something not many people can acquire, and even if they could, not everyone has such good control over it,"

"Oh yeah? What ability is that?"

"I suppose you can call it absorption and re-channeling of Ki, or the life energy of everything around me," Isaac began, "Anything I touch, I can absorb any amount of ki that I wish and I can use that as a weapon against my enemies. Those disks you just saw me use just now were an example of my abilities,"

_Although those were made from my own personal ki.._. the Tenryuubito added mentally, _He doesn't need to know **that**, though. I just have to be careful and not use too much of my own ki, or else I'm screwed!_

Theo looked at him for a bit, then let out a loud laugh, "Oh man, if what you say is true, then you're fucked, boy!" he reached up and tapped the side of his head, "You take the life energy of everything around you? Look around you, boy, there's nothing here for you to use! Just about every single fuckin' thing around you is dead! The piece of meat behind you is dead, the ones up in the tree are dead, hell even the trees are dead! Where the hell are you going to get the ammo you need to fight me?!"

Isaac grinned as he pulled out a mask, a violet (or rather lavender) colored half mask with large, round glass pieces inserted in the eyeholes, from behind his back and held it in front of his face, "You'll see, fatman, you'll see...," he murmured as he removed his glasses and donned the mask.

"The only thing I'll see is your head on a platter, boy!" Theo rushed him, his cleavers swinging wildly in all directions, _"Butcher Shop Blender!"_

_"Drago Velocita,"_ **(2)** Isaac crouched and with an amazing burst of speed, ran directly at Theo, weaving in and out of the deadly cleaver blades. The moment he was too close for the thick metal weapons to harm him, Isaac reached outward and, eyes filled with a look of disgust, planted both hands on Theo's enormous round stomach. He didn't have much time, but he didn't need a whole lot of firepower...or at least, the kind that this fat bastard would give him. He looked down at his arms to see two currents of black, perhaps dark violet, energy pour from Theo's belly and into his limbs.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Theo jumped back and away from Isaac, "I felt a tingle there, what _was_ that?"

"I told you," Isaac held up his hand, which was pulsating with dark energy, "I can absorb the ki of anything living around me. Even people," he smirked, "You have a huge amount of ki within you, Lardass, so even though the forest around us is pretty much dead and void of ki, I can take what I need from you and use it...," he held his hands out at the sides, creating the disks from before once again, only smaller and black-ish instead of white, "...against you!"

_I can't make them too big, this time, and I can't use a whole lot of these..._ Isaac thought as the disks spun in the air just above his palms, _Dark Ki_ **(3)**_...I hate using that, but there doesn't seem to be much of a choice here. I just have to be careful and not overexert myself with this, otherwise I'll screw myself majorly in this. I just gotta remember what I learned, and I should be able to pull through this!_

-Flashback-

**Five Years Ago...**

_Isaac and his half-sister had left the Tenryuubito life some time ago and were now traveling with Noir and Kagura, as well as their nakama, the Red River Pirates. The Red River Pirates were led by a man, Razul, and had a very large number of people within the crew. Two people in particular, aside from Kagura and Noir, made Isaac's new life as a pirate more interesting. There was Scar, the First Mate whose nickname was obvious for the numerous scars that covered his body, and then there was White Moon, the cook of the crew. Scar took the time to teach Isaac basic survival skills so that he could take care of himself, and White Moon taught him how to harness and utilize the gift of Ki._

_Scar taught him how to look for plants and herbs to use for medicine and to take care of injuries, as well as how to survive on basic things like berries and roots if the situation called for it. It was thanks to him that he would become a skilled doctor within the years to come. White Moon's teachings grabbed his curiosity especially, so whenever Isaac wasn't with Scar or doing anything else, he spent quite a bit of time with White Moon, learning what he could from her.  
_

_"So, what are you going to teach me today?" Isaac asked his mentor as he sat down cross-legged on the floor._

_"Emotional control," White Moon said simply, "Take off your shirt,"_

_Isaac blinked, "What?"_

_"Take off your shirt, I'll need to see your torso for this exercise,"_

_"Alright...," Isaac pulled off his shirt, revealing his thin, bare body._

_"Ki is the energy that lies within us all, as well as other living things such as plants an animals. You already know that Isaac, however, what you may or may not know is that emotions can control and cause the control and the level of power of that Ki. Happiness, anger, sadness, all of those can influence Ki flow and power, so what I am going to teach you is some basic control techniques. If you are able to control your emotions, you will be able to handle the flow and control of your Ki. You have to concentrate, though, because if you do not, it will be harder to make things work. Everyone has to concentrate, or else they'll lose control,"_

_Isaac nodded, "Okay, let's get started,"_

_"Good attitude, good attitude. Now, let's begin with breathing exercises. With these exercises, we'll be using our diaphragms...,"_

_"Why, exactly?"_

_White Moon smiled a bit, "Like I said, we're working on emotion control," she reached up and placed her hand on her chest, "Here, there is emotion. Fear, sadness, happiness, anger, they all come the heart. Now, fear and sadness are not good, they will hinder you and your Ki control. If those two emotions get in, they'll throw you out of wack and screw you up. Anger can do the same thing, but depending on the situation, it could actually benefit you, although I'd recommend against it. So, to get them under control, we're using your diaphragm," she moved her hand down to her stomach, "The best way to control your emotions is to control your body. Now, what I want you to do is hit me a few times, as hard as you can,"_

_Isaac stared at her._

_"Go on, it's okay, I won't hit you back,"_

_"Uh...okay," Isaac raised a hand and frowned, "This feels wrong...but alright," he clenched a fist and slugged her hard in the face. White Moon's head snapped to the side at the force of the impact, but it looked as though she barely felt it. She turned back and once again, Isaac hit her, harder this time. A few punches later, White Moon held up her hand, "That's enough, Isaac, now watch,"._

_White Moon began to take quick, but deep breaths. Isaac watched as her stomach went inward and upward, showing her ribcage just below her clothing. He also watched as her stomach not only went upward, but she was actually able to make it move to the sides if she wanted to. Taking a final breath, White Moon exhaled and looked at him, "It takes some practice, but I guarantee you that once you have the general idea and skill to use your diaphragm like this, you'll be better then when you originally started. Any questions?"  
_

-End Flashback-

_No matter what I've witnessed, no matter what I feel in my heart for this bastard, I cannot let myself get **too** angry, or else I'll complicate this. Bad enough I'm resorting to Dark Ki, I can't afford to lose the control of my emotions!_

"Eat this, Lardass!" Isaac pulled his arms back for a moment, then proceeded to launch multiple Dark Ki discs, each one of them aimed for the Bloodless Vampire, "Special Delivery, _Drago Fetta_!"

Once again, multiple disks of energy, this time around blackish energy, went buzzing through the air, straight towards Theo. The obese cannibal quickly planted one of his cleavers into the ground and gripped the other with both hands, holding it up like a sword, or a twisted version of a baseball bat.

"Batter up, boyo! I'll knock those right back at ya!" Theo cackled as he took a swing at one of the disks, expecting to cut through it, or at least hit knock it out of the way, but instead the Dark Ki sliced through the blood-stained cleaver like a hot knife through butter. The cannibal watched as the bigger portion of his giant blade fell to the wet ground with a splat, "WHAT THE HELL!?"

He barely had enough time to react, but Theo swerved out of the way of the oncoming Dark Ki disk, holding back a cry of surprise when it "grazed" him through one of his many folds of fat. Blood trickled down his side as the rest of the disks went flying past him.

"Not bad, kid, not bad," Theo looked down at his wound, "It takes quite a bit of power to cut through me like that. Usually people just to slice or stab me, but all I get is a scratch or their weapons lodged into my fat. Hell, I think I even have some blades still in my body somewhere, I can never quite find them and get them out. Very rarely does something or someone cut into my body like that," he turned his attention back to Isaac, who was still glaring at him, "My turn!"

Feeling a bit drained from usage of Dark Ki, Isaac had a slightly slower reaction time. Before he knew it, Theo was descending on him from above, holding his second cleaver high above his head.

"Aw, sh-," Isaac rushed forward and tucked into a roll just as the obese killer chef crashed into the ground, his cleaver blade pushed into the earth. Isaac stared in surprise, _He's waaaaaay too fat to be healthy, he shouldn't be able to move as normally as he can, let alone that fast or jump as high as far he did! Throw in the fact that his fat protects him well..._ he grit his teeth, _...this is going to be a little more difficult then what I'm used to._

"You know...," Theo pulled his cleaver out of the muck and flung it a few times, casting the mud off it as best he could, "There was one other person I ever fought against, at least that I can remember, whoever broke one of my cleavers. Long time back, in Alabasta, during that whole thing with Crocodile, I ran into a certain man that is now currently inside the mansion. We fought, and I was so surprised that the Captain wanted him dead, after all, at the time he was so weak, he couldn't beat me. It's true that he broke one of my tools, and he even kicked me down the street, something not many people can do...," he turned to Isaac, his dumb, sadistic grin still plastered on his face, "If he never stood a chance against us, what makes you think you have a chance?" he taunted.

_He's gotta be talking about Axe, that's the only reasonable conclusion..._ Isaac gulped slightly, "If you really wanna know why I think I have a chance, then listen up! I can kick your fatass because I got people who need my help, I got friends waiting for me, and I have a couple of people very close to my heart that I have to get back to! Not only that, but I got something I have to do before I pass on, so don't you think for one goddamn second that you're gonna kill me here, because I won't let you!"

Theo roared with laughter, "Alright, boyo, I'll humor ya. Say that you do beat me, fat chance of that happening by the way, you still have the rest of my crewmates to get past, not to mention a Shichibukai and his zombie army before you can even escape! Are you actually willing to put that puny looking body of yours through that kind of punishment just to cling to life?"

"What I have to do, and who I have to see are very important to me, so I'm willing to make some sacrifices. Hell, I'm even willing to make some mistakes, but as long as I can get past this place, I'll have no regrets," he held out an arm, curling his hand, as if he was hold onto an invisible object, _"Drago Lancia,"_ **(4)**. A blob made of pure, dark energy appeared in the middle of Isaac's grasp and stretched outward on both ends, creating a spear-like weapon that crackled with the dark power of stolen Ki.

"Oh ho, now what is this, then?"

"I'm about to make you a human pincushion!" Isaac growled before thrusting the spear at his enemy, "Take it like a man, Lardass!"

Theo stood absolutely still as the spear came cruising towards him. He calmly waited and stood his ground, even as the spear passed through the flesh and fat, lodging itself in the middle of his stomach. Looking down, he scoffed and looked back up at Isaac, "You think that's enough to bring me down, boyo? Let me tell you something: I have so much fat," he grabbed his stomach and shook it around, "I'm damn near impregnable! Bullets bounce off me and swords can barely cut into me. Sure, your little stick passed through, but it's nowhere near close to any of my organs, so if you think that throwing one of these...toys into my gut is gonna beat me, then you're really fucked! Hell, even that little buzzsaw thing of yours pretty much grazed me, so while you're wearing yourself out, I'm just taking it easy!"

_That's impossible! The Lancia never gets stuck! It misses, sure, but it's never gotten stuck like **that**! Moreover, the Dark Ki boosts the strength of my techniques like crazy, but even that didn't do much to him!_ Isaac scowled behind his mask, _Is he serious?! I've been draining myself bit by bit to do some massive damage against him, but he's barely been injured, or at least the kind of injured that'd bring an ordinary human down a notch or two...**major** effort into this, or else I'm gonna end up on a giant dinner plate after this!_ he gulped again ...I think I'm really gonna have to risk it and put some he held up both his hands, palms facing outward and fingers outstretched. Isaac grunted as he began to gather what Ki he could use into both of his hands.

Theo scratched his head, "Eh?"

_"Hoof of the Dragon King!"_ **(5)** Isaac shouted before his hands exploded into a blinding flash of bright light. The Ki stored within his hands erupted forth from his palms and fingertips and cut through the air, speeding for the cannibalistic fatass ahead, taking a form as it did. The form was that of a claw of some kind: a large, perfectly round circle with three triangles spreading outward on top and one triangle pointing downward beneath the circle. The strange shaped blast hit Theo dead on, but unlike the past couple of attacks, this one actually hit him with enough force to knock him off his feet and onto his back. Even though the mud had absorbed most of the impact, Isaac still felt the ground beneath him shake.

The rogue Tenryuubito pumped his arm and whooped before falling to a knee, feeling more drained, "TAKE THAT YOU FATASS SONOFABITCH!!! HOW DO YOU LIKE _THAT_?! HUH!?"

_Dammit, it took **that** much of my personal Ki to knock him down?_ Isaac panted a little, _It's bad enough Dark Ki wears me out with certain power output, but that and the other technique I use, with my own Ki or borrowed, it **still** takes a lot of me!_

"You...asshole...!"

Isaac held his breath, "Oh, you have to be fuckin' _kidding_ me!" he watched as Theo flipped back onto his feet, the front of his fat body smoldering, "Even if that doesn't kill anyone, that still usually does enough damage to incapacitate them! Just what the hell kind of monster are you?!"

Theo patted and blew on his stomach, "Sonofabitch, you burned my belly!"

It was true. Where the strange attack had made contact, a large symbol was now burned into the folds of flesh that was Theo's body. It looked identical to the "hoof" that knocked him off his feet just a few moments before. Theo frowned deeply and looked at Isaac, pointing at the symbol, "What the fuck is_ that_?!"

Isaac, still panting a little, kept staring at the fat freak that stood before him, "That's...that's the symbol of my people, the Tenryuubito. Those who wear that on their bodies...well, they're pretty much screwed in life,"

"Why the hell is that?!"

The blonde pirate had to grin when the reason came to mind, "I, uh...I think I'll let you figure that out on your own, Lardass. After I beat you, of course,"

"Enough with that shit, meatbag!" Theo shouted at him, a huge vein appearing in his forehead, "You keep saying you'll beat me, but everything you've thrown at me either misses or doesn't do jack shit to me! There is nothing you got that can bring me down, so stop being a stubborn bastard and...," he jabbed his stomach with a thick finger, "GET IN MY BELLY!!!"

_He's right. I've thrown move after move at him, but he just keeps coming! This is insane, even for the Grand Line this man is impossible! I have one shot to take him down for good, but if that fails, I'm dead meat! Still, I don't think I have a choice here. Well, I could run and look for help, but that just might be ending up to be worse than it is right now. Damn..._ he reached up and removed his mask and took a very deep breath, his chest puffing outward, _This had better work! Please, let this work!_

Theo raised an eyebrow, "Now what?"

_"BREATH OF THE DRAGON KING!!!"_ **(6)**

* * *

The mud felt surprisingly good between the few spaces he had between his toes. Herman had left the mansion, following the trail of destruction that he had found earlier that night into the woods outside. Well, in truth, the destructive trail ended just at the mansion, he was now following deep footprints deeper into the forest. The lobster Fish-Man's eyestalks were set on the tracks and the forest around him, but his mind was set on what he had to do here, for his nakama.

_I knew this day would come when we'd be forced to fight Axe's old nakama, but I never thought it'd be so soon and with our numbers so few_, Herman swiveled a stalk around, to make sure nothing jumped out at him, _To make things even worse, there's a Tenryuubito here with us!_ he clenched his fists tightly, _He says that he's different from the others, different from the bastards who enslave my kind and the people of the world, but I know he's got a silver tongue behind that false smile of his. Even if he was telling the truth, it'd take more than words to convince me that he actually meant it._

A loud blast suddenly filled the night air, sending what birds were in the forest to fly up into the sky, cawing as they went. Herman came to a halt and looked around, "The hell was that?"

* * *

Isaac fell to both his knees, breathing heavily, "That...that's just not possible! No way in hell, that should've worked!"

Theo's enormous belly shook as he patted it once more, smoke rising from the flesh again, "Boy, you sure do have some weird abilities. You throw stuff at me and manage to cut me, but the last few things you tried to do with me didn't even go through the first layer of fat I got. You gave me a wicked burn with the first one, and all that last move you went and pulled did was just push me back,"

It was true. There was a fair distance between Isaac and Theo now, and two long, wide grooves in the fresh mud created by Theo's feet after he was hit dead on in the belly by a stream of Ki energy that erupted from Isaac's mouth. Isaac couldn't believe what he was seeing: a man that could bleed, that could be cut and pierced, but he couldn't be beaten when a large amount of energy hit him straight on. He was knocked off his feet one time, and the second time he got hit, by a more powerful blast even, he just got knocked back a short distance.

The rogue Tenryuubito panted for air, feeling very drained from his Ki usage. The Dark Ki from before drained him considerably, and he saw that coming, he just wished that those last two attacks he launched would've put Theo down on the ground for good, but his wishes were in vain. Pulling off his mask and replacing it with his glasses, he fell back a bit and sat down in the mud, "Man, this place truly is an island of nightmares and monsters, isn't it?"

"You have no idea, boy, you have no idea," Theo cackled as he trudged up to the weakened opponent, "I never thought you'd come back, since you were lucky enough to escape, but truth be told, I'm glad you did come back," he licked his lips, saliva dripping off his thick, grotesque tongue, "I've killed and enjoyed a lot of people over the years, but you're a rare one. Do you know why?"

"Well, I'd offer up my heritage, but since that's not very common knowledge, I'll just say no," Isaac pulled his legs together under him, "Why?"

"Because, you are one of the few people who have ever gotten away from me. In years, I've come across a lot of people, and just a small number of them have ever escaped my stomach. Then again, you're the only who has ever escaped from me, that's managed to come and find me again," Theo shook his head, "Very unique, you are boy, and I'll bet you'll make a fine dish. Oh, how to deal with you? I could ram through you and turn you over a spit to roast you, I could lop off your limbs and fry them up in front of you, or maybe I should just take chunks of flesh off your bones?"

Isaac just glared at him, still panting as the rain poured around them.

"Ah well, I'm sure I'll think of something. But first, I think I should just finish you off right now and deal with you later," Theo raised his lone cleaver high above his head, "Don't feel bad, you're a poor fighter, but you'll make a fine meal,"

Isaac lowered his head.

Theo scoffed and brought his cleaver down, only to have it suddenly stop.

"What the-?!" Theo blinked a few times and stared at the obstruction that halted his cleaver. Surrounding Isaac was what appeared to be a dome made of light colored air that seemed to swirl around him.

Isaac chuckled and looked up at Theo, a tired grin on his face, "Was hoping I'd have that still in me,"

"Hoping to still have what in you?"

"Enough power to put up my _Drago Veletta_ **(7) **to protect myself," Isaac sighed, "After everything I threw at you, this is the one thing that actually helps me out. I was wondering why some of my techniques didn't work against you, but then I remembered. I used Dark Ki in many of them against you, and you're just filled with that same Ki, so it wouldn't do quite as much damage as it should've done to you," he shook his head, "To think, I was worried to let my emotions get out of control, but here I am, unable to fight anymore because I forgot about the effects of different Ki. Man, glad Taeko's not here right now, he'd never let me hear the end of it," the rogue Tenryuubito watched as the dome disappeared from sight, "That's it, I'm completely out of juice. Crap...,"

"Stubborn to the very end," Theo shook his head, his many chins swaying back and forth, "Love it when food fights back,"

The giant cannibal reached down and grabbed Isaac by one of his shoulders and picked him clean off the ground, the Tenryuubito looking as limp as a ragdoll. The noble turned pirate closed his eyes, _I'm sorry, Mary, but I won't be coming back to you. I just hope the others will take care of you for me._

"In ya go, ya bastard," Theo opened his mouth very wide, wider than a mouth should be able to open up, and with a few quick pushes, shoved Isaac into his gullet. The cannibal had to admit, he was a bit more difficult to swallow than most others he had eaten before, but with an extra push or two, the cannibal was able to push him all the way in. As soon as his feet disappeared into his mouth, Theo closed his jaws and patted his stomach.

"Yummy, yummy, yummy in my tummy, tummy, tummy," Theo let a sigh of content and grinned, "Now, I just gotta decide if I wanna get you back out and actually make something out of you, or just let you sit and dissolve in there. Oh well, I got time before that happens, I'll figure something out," he turned around, wanting to head back to the mansion before heading off to his kitchen on the ship, and stopped, "Eh?"

Holding a large piece of fallen tree over his shoulders, Herman stood before him, tapping a foot in the mud.

"Going somewhere, fatass?"

Theo smiled widely at the sight of the lobster Fish-Man, "Looks like the second course just arrived...,"

"I don't think so," Herman pulled the piece of tree of his shoulder and bolted towards the cannibal, holding the lumber with both hands, "Hope you enjoyed that guy, because that was your last meal, Gaine!!"

* * *

**Kilnorc: Man, this one was a bit rough, and mainly because of the fighting. Originally, I never thought much of Theo fighting a Ki user in battle, but I liked the idea of Isaac fighting him for payback. Similarly, Crazy-Fishie never thought Isaac fighting a lot, so I kinda winged it on both of their parts. I apologize if people are confused, I didn't mean for that.**

**(1) Drago Fetta - Translation: Dragon Disk. Isaac creates one or multiple disks that can fly through the air and cut through surrounding objects, or people if that is his intent.  
**

**(2) Drago Velocita - Translation: Dragon Speed. Isaac concentrates his Ki into his feet, which allows him to increase his speed considerably, depending on how much Ki he puts into it.  
**

**(3) Dark Ki - A concept created by Crazy-Fishie. Dark Ki is "bad" Ki that is more destructive, but can usually be found around those who have done many evil crimes. For example, because Theo has killed and eaten many people, his fat body is just swarming with Dark Ki.  
**

**(4) Drago Lancia - Translation: Dragon Spear/Lance. Isaac uses his Ki to create a spear of energy that can pierce through solid objects, and if he wishes it, people.  
**

**(5) Hoof of the Dragon King - A powerful Ki attack created and used by Isaac. It takes the form of the symbol for the Tenryuubito and is capable of considerable damage (in this chapter's case, knocking Theo off his feet actually), but it takes a lot of Ki to perform this attack, which means Isaac is drained more than usual compared to his other techniques.  
**

**(6) Breath of the Dragon King - Another powerful technique of Isaac's (possibly the most powerful one he has). Isaac takes a deep breath and concentrates his Ki inside his body before firing off a powerful blast of energy that is capable of impressive destruction.  
**

**(7) Drago Veletta - Translation: Dragon Veil. Isaac creates a near invisible barrier, appearing somewhat like a dome, around him. The length of time the barrier is up depends on how long Isaac's Ki is fueling it.**

**On the next chapter of Endless Nightmare...**

**Theo: The lobster's come to play! I wish I had a giant pot and butter with me right now.**

**Herman: I don't care about him, he got in there on his own fault, he can get out on his own. All I care about right now is kicking your ass and helping my nakama.**

**Theo: Ow! What the hell was that?!  
**

**Herman: I heard stories about these changes among my people, but this is my first time experiencing it.**

**Not On The Menu**

**Isaac: Thank God Taeko's not here...he'd never shut up about it.  
**


	31. Not On the Menu

**Not On The Menu**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.**

* * *

**_"A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti," _- Hannibal Lecter, _Silence of the Lambs_  
**

"Going somewhere, fatass?"

Theo smiled widely at the sight of the lobster Fish-Man, "Looks like the second course just arrived...,"

"I don't think so," Herman pulled the piece of tree of his shoulder and bolted towards the cannibal, holding the lumber with both hands, "Hope you enjoyed that guy, because that was your last meal, Gaine!!"

The large cannibal smirked as the lobster practically flew at him, "Is that so, ya damned shellfish?"

Herman pulled the large piece of tree back, then swung as hard as he could, aiming straight for Theo's face. If he could just knock the lumber hard enough upside the fat bastard's face, maybe he'd stun him long enough to do some damage. The lumber did make contact and come to a complete stop, but the result wasn't what Herman had expected...or wanted, for that matter. Gaine had once again opened his mouth wide and as soon as the tree came close enough, he snapped his metal choppers down on it, digging the razor teeth deep into the bark.

Theo chuckled and glanced at Herman, who was taken back by the move. With a jerk of his head, Theo snapped off the larger half of the lumber and began to calmly chew it away, keeping his cruel, wicked eyes on Herman. The Fish-Man cursed and jumped back a short distance, slipping a bit on the mud beneath his feet. Theo continued to chew for a few moments before taking as much of the wood he could into his maw and swallowed it in one gulp. An irritated look appeared on his face as stuck out his tongue and began to massage it.

_Huh...guess that bastard will eat just about anything. I shouldn't be surprised though, I saw what he did to the Tenryuubito in his belly..._ Herman glanced at the enormous stomach that jiggled a little bit, and imagined the exhausted Isaac hidden by the layers upon layers of fat.

"Bleh," Theo spat out a few large splinters, "What beavers see in that garbage is beyond me,"

"If you don't like it, then why the hell did you eat it, fat boy?"

Theo shrugged idly, "I dunno," he patted his belly, making it jiggle even more, "I've been eating a lot lately. There was that blonde dork, and God knows just how many people I crammed down my throat over the past couple days. Problem is, I haven't taken a crap since...who knows, maybe the little toothpick you gave me will give me enough fiber to move everything out?"

Herman made a disgusted face, "Just when I think I couldn't find you more revolting...,"

"So!" Theo gripped and swung his only good cleaver, "The lobster's come to play! I wish I had a giant pot and butter with me right now,"

"I just wish I didn't have to look at your ugly ass face," Herman spat at him, "Guess not all wishes come true, huh? Well, at least I know of one wish of mine that'll be coming true by the end of the night,"

"Oh, and what is that, fishface?" Theo shot back with a sneer.

Herman held up his hands, one of them just transformed into a large claw, the other clenched tightly in a powerful looking fist, "I'm gonna be kicking your fatass like there's no tomorrow!"

Theo reared his head back and let out a loud, cold laugh.

The Fish-Man glared at him, "Oh, you think I'm kidding, huh? Alright, then let me prove it to ya!" he growled, breaking out into a run, pulling his large fist behind him, "Eat this, you obese sonofabitch!"

_Just try it, ya walking dinner! Try it and see what happens!_

"This is for my nakama, you bastard!" Herman stopped just in front of the cannibal and threw his fist straight into the folds of fat that was his stomach.

Nothing.

Nothing at all.

Theo snickered, "Is that it? That all you got?"

Herman stared at his fist, which had just been enveloped by Theo's fat, "What the hell?"

"You know," Gaine hefted his cleaver over a shoulder, still grinning, "That last guy tried to attack me with force, too. He couldn't do me any real damage because he couldn't get through my defenses. Looks like you couldn't get past them either. It actually looks like you got stuck in there!"

The Fish-Man tried to pull his hand free, but it was stuck real good in there. He couldn't be sure, but Herman could swear he felt something, "...aw shit," he stopped pulling and glanced up at Theo, "I'm in trouble,"

"You have no idea, boy, you have no idea!!" Theo threw his back and roared with laughter. "GET IN MA BELLEH!!!"

Herman grit his teeth and began punching and kicking the cannibal, trying to somehow get free. Theo just looked down at him with a grin, raising a meat tenderizer and slammed it against Herman's side, nearly pulling Herman's arm off as the lobster man flew away. Holding his arm, Herman twitched his fingers and looked at the fatty, narrowing his eyes as his fingers curled up into a fist. "Nearly got me there. The hell he get that big ass new toy?!"

Theo swung his tenderizer around, flinging what appeared to be saliva off the metal, "I've been eating so much lately, I've had to make room...oh well, no loss, I was wanting to pull this out of storage anyway,"

Herman stared, "You ate that thing!?"

"Of course! I always carry my equipment with me, inside and outside!" Theo grinned wickedly, "I don't just eat people for food, my shelled friend, I can eat people and items for safekeeping! As long as I get the living 'passengers' out before they suffocate or are digested, I can carry them around in my belly for a good, long time!" he patted his fat body, "Great for smuggling weapons and prisoners around without them causing too much of a scene,"

The Fish-Man looked on at him in utter disgust, "You're a sick bastard, Gaine...,"

"Not as much as my other comrades," Theo shrugged casually, still gripping his cleaver and tenderizer, "So what will you do now, shellfish? You gonna try and save my little meal?!"

Herman snorted, "I don't care about him, he got there on his own fault, he can get out on his own,"

_At least, I hope he could..._ the Fishman added silently in his head, "All I care about now is kicking your ass and helping my nakama!" he took a pose, "Challenge is out there, so let's go!"

"You were the one who wanted to fight, lunch."

"I'M NO ONE'S LUNCH!" Herman roared, charging at the fat man again, this time grabbing his arm with his pincher, never letting go as his other hand began punching Theo's face. The fat man just grinned with every punch, before catching Herman's hand in his mouth, biting down hard. Screaming loudly, the merman tried to move away, using his legs as props as he began to pull. Hearing several sickening crunches, Herman felt a world of pain in his shoulder as he ripped it out of socket, his shell cracking in between plating as his arm was ripped from his body.

Pushing away from Theo with his legs, Herman stood, holding the bloody stump of his arm, his eyestalks swiveled to the cannibal eating his arm. A sharp pain ran through his body as his shoulder began to tingle. As Theo slurped up the last of the lobster's arm, he gave out a huge belly laugh. "You're not so bad. A little bit are tartar sauce or even some butter and you'd be tasty."

Like phantom fingers twitching, Herman felt his should burning, aching, almost as if fire rang through it. As if being pulled by a chain, a new arm shot through the bloody stump, blood covering the shell of new muscle, of thicker shell, of a larger arm. Clenching his new fist, Herman tested the new strength and grinned. Molting was a wonderful thing, but only when not in a fight. Until this new shell hardened, he would have to keep his distance some.

"Oh, so you regrew another limb. How delicious!" Theo purred, drool hanging from his mouth as he rushed the merman. Gathering mud in one hand, Herman threw it at Gaine's eyes, watching as the fat man screamed and rubbed at his eyes furiously. "You damned creature! I'll kill you and eat you!" he roared out, his fat hands searching for the chef blindly.

Using one hand, Herman climbed a tree to escape, trying to make as little noise as possible. Though his shell was still soft, he knew that it wouldn't take long for the glutton to get free of his disability and find him. Looking around, Herman shifted his hand into a claw, breaking a branch before peeling it of all the leaves. He was no swordsman like DJ or Devon but if he could defend himself a little bit longer, then the fatass won't know what hit him.

"I know you're here somewhere, Mister Crustacean...come out, come out, wherever you are...,"

Damn, he's annoying! Herman rolled his eyes and looked down to see the large cannibal waddling into view, his eyes now free of mud, although most of it was still caked around his face. Theo slowly moved around, trying to pick up a sign or something that told him where his pray was, but he didn't pick up a thing! Luckily for Herman, the fatass was too dumb to even look up now and then, because if he had, he would've seen the next thing coming.

Raising the newly made club, Herman let out a war cry as he fell on top of the fat man, bashing the club against his head before pushing off. Hearing several crunches, the Axe-Head grinned, melding his regenerated hand into a claw as he caught Theo's wrist, pinching tightly as the other hand holding the club was still hitting the cannibal about the head. Screaming loudly, Theo tried to defend himself before found he was unable to. Reaching around his belt, he pulled out a pair of crackers and slipped it around Herman's neck, squeezing the ends together.

As the lobster man cried out, his shell began to grow thicker around his neck, as if it knew that he was in danger. Theo seemed to notice this change even though he was temporarily blind. "What is this that you are doing, food?"

Herman just grinned when the pain faded, though he knew he had to act fast. "I'm beating you!" he shouted, kicking straight up, hitting Theo's chin, the two separating as the fat cannibal fell backwards and Herman slipping out of the crackers' grip. When Theo landed with a heavy, but loud squishing sound onto the muddy ground below him, the chef stood on top of his chest, kicking in Theo's face.

Being able to see again, Gaine opened his mouth when Herman's foot neared it, catching the bottom of his foot, his lips over Herman's ankle. Digging his metal teeth in the tops of Herman's foot, Gaine could taste the blood that was now filling his mouth as the shell crumbled and began to rip apart at the merman's knee. As Herman screamed out in pain, he began beating Theo's head with his fists, using his other foot to hopefully stomp the cannibal's face in.

As he began to pull away, Herman failed to realize that his leg was ripping off. As the knee separated itself and pulled away from the femur of his leg, his shell became splitting in between the shells. As blood fell from his bloody stump, Herman hobbled away, grabbing onto a tree for support as he struggled to get away from the fat cannibal.

Laughing, Theo sat up, eating Herman's leg as he did so. "Ah, the blood always makes it taste so much sweeter." Standing up, his huge belly jiggled as he moved, walking closer to Herman. With every step, all of his fat moved as his tongue licked away the blood around his lips. "So food, where will you go with just one leg? You can't possibly outrun me so you're left with just one option: GET IN MAH BELLEH!"

"FUCK YOU!" Herman shouted out, slinging mud at Theo again.

But, the fat man was not as stupid as Herman thought, he dodged the flying mud easily. "Trick won't work twice on me, food."

"FOR THE LAST FUCKING TIME, I AM NO ONE'S MEAL, SO STOP CALLING ME FOOD!"

Theo licked his lips noisily and began to advance on the injured and vulnerable Fish-Man, but came to a sudden stop. A loud, dull noise was heard within the many folds of fat that was his stomach, making him frown in confusion. Herman noticed the change as well, "The hell...?"

The huge cannibal opened his mouth to talk, but another sound came and this time, whatever was causing it seemed to hurt him because he suddenly grabbed his stomach, dropping his weapons, his face scrunching up in pain, "That...bastard...he's...still got some fight in him!"

Herman blinked, "No way...the Tenryuubito's still...alive?"

"You bastard, knock it off!" Theo shouted, pounding his enormous gut with both hands, "Just be good and die in there already!!!" he roared, his fat flesh jiggling like mad every time he either pounded on himself, or every time something happened from inside, "Shit, what is he doing in there?! I don't have time for this!" he looked up to continue his bout with the Fish-Man, but realized that Herman had vanished, "Oh that's just fuckin' great!"

The cannibal was about to curse and swear out the doomed Tenryuubito inside his body when he notice a dark trail of blood leading away from the battlefield, the precious life essence mixing with the black mud of the island. A cruel grin spread across Theo's face, exposing his now glinting metal teeth.

"You can run, but you can't hide, lunch...," he cackled before doubling over and throwing up a large amount of blood, "DAMMIT! STOP WHATEVER THE HELL IT IS YOU'RE DOING IN THERE YOU BASTARD!!!"

* * *

_SON OF A FUCKING BITCH!!!_ Herman screamed in his mind, his body filled with what felt like fiery pain as he tried to clamp his stump of a limb, hoping to stop the bleeding. The Fish-Man tried to get his mind cleared, but the pain and anger from what had just happened was too much for him to do even that! The lobster man started to take deep breaths as he tried to stop the blood flow from his stump, _I am NOT having a good day here...!_ he hissed and lay back against a tree, _Come on, molting! Give me a new leg here, give me a new leg! I need a new leg, Papa Red really needs a new leg!_

As he sat there, waiting for the miracle of regeneration, Herman thought to his current situation. He kept one claw pinched around his stump and drummed his one good leg with his other hand, Alright...so far, I ain't doing so hot. So far, I have lost an arm and a leg...hey, at least I didn't lose them when buying something! Ha...bad time for a bad joke. Alright, Red, stop talking to yourself like a crazy person or a drunken Azu and think! You've lost two limbs and have yet to actually make some progress in this fight. The only one really doing much fight here is the damned Tenryuubito inside that fat bastard's belly! he grit his teeth and sighed irritably, I gotta get this fight under control and I have got to end this! I just wish something would finally come and give me an edge in this besides me molting!

That's when he felt something stirring from inside him. It felt like there was a burning sensation, and then it felt like something was...moving around in him!

"Aw hell, what now?!"

* * *

"Hah...hah...hah...oh, you little bastard, you're so fuckin' dead, do you know that?!" Gaine shouted as he held his terribly upset stomach, angry at the fact that his latest meal was still putting up a fight, "You may be stubborn in your final times of life, but the joke's on you boy, because the last thing you'll ever feel in this world is the pain of my stomach acids digesting you alive! You'll burn, you little fucker, you'll burn, you'll melt and then you'll be nothing more than a big, ugly, stinking, pile of shit!" the cannibal wiped the blood from his mouth, "Yeah, you'll be getting out, don't you worry about that, but believe me you won't be able to enjoy it!"

His stomach gurgled loudly, followed by a pain shooting through his abdomen.

"GAH!!!" Gaine screamed, "YOU SONOFABITCH, CUT IT OUT AND JUST DIE ALREADY!!!"

As he argued with his latest meal, Gaine's ears perked up at the arrival of another sound. It wasn't his stomach this time, no, it sounded like...someone whistling. The cannibal stopped fighting his own body and stood still, listening as the whistle, which sounded rather shrill and long, echoed around him. He grinned wickedly, knowing only one person who would make another attempt on his life. He shook his head, chuckling darkly, "Alright, lunch, come out from your hiding spot and let's end this!"

"For the last time...,"

"AHA!" Theo spun around, the grin vanishing almost instantly when he saw Herman behind him, "What...the...f-?" he never got a chance to finish his question, because before he could finish dropping the F-bomb, something very large crashed into his face and actually sent the enormous chef flying straight into the trees behind him. Coughing, Gaine rolled over and started to pick himself up from off the ground, but stopped and grabbed his beefy throat.

The hell did that bastard do to me?! Feels like he shoved something down my throat!

His coughing got worse and worse, the feeling of his throat getting tighter and tighter around whatever it was that was lodged in there. Finally, he managed to cough so hard, it did clear his throat, but when he saw what had been lodged in there, he couldn't believe what it was! There, mixed with blood, saliva, mud and whatever else was on the ground, were most, if not all, of his metal teeth! Staring in disbelief, Theo reached up and felt around his jaws. Indeed, his metal choppers were broken! To make things worse, it felt like the inside of his mouth was cut up and bleeding inside!

Herman cracked his neck loudly as he approached him from behind, "Playtime's over, fatass. Time to end this!"

Theo clenched his fists and rose to his feet, glaring at the Fish-Man, "What the fuck are you...what changed...?!"

"I'm not quite sure myself. It's not normal molting," Herman looked down at his hands, "I heard stories about these changes among my people, but this is my first time experiencing it. I have never done this before...," he grinned and looked up at Gaine, a new look in his eyestalks, "...but I ain't complaining,"

Herman had changed drastically, not just in appearance, but apparently in strength, since he was capable of batting away Theo like a toy. Usually, Herman was a large humanoid with a shell, webbed hands and feet, eyestalks and a tail, all red like the rest of his flesh. Now, he was very different. He was larger now, standing taller than Theo, and he had a lot more body! Instead of two, he now had four, very powerful arms jutting from his torso, the top pair in the form of claws and the bottom two looking like normal hands. His lower portion of his body had changed as well, be even more drastically than his upper body! His lower body had grown in size, length and even number of legs! Instead of standing on two legs, it now looked like Herman's entire body was sitting on six legs, all of them looking like large, armored needles. Trailing behind those in the mud was his tail, and even that seemed to have grown larger and thicker! More than ever, his body was covered in thick shell armor, and he was ready to fight!

Theo looked him over, "You think because you turned into a freak that you have a chance?!"

"I know that I have a chance, Gaine!" Herman held up his arms, punching the lower pair together and snapping the upper pair loudly, "You seem to think that we Fish-Men are nothing more than walking delicacies, but we're far more than that! We are a proud, powerful race with a history that you can't even start to imagine! What you see before you is the history of my kind, the lobster-folk of the Fish-People! Growing up, I heard all kinds of stories of our species becoming like this either in times of great crisis or when they reach the right time in their lives. I dunno where I am right now in life, but I know that I need help, so look what happened! Now, enough talking, come get some, you fat mother fucker!"

With speed that Theo had never witnessed before from the walking entree, Herman darted right at the obese opponent, his pointed feet darting back and forth through the mud, flinging the wet earth into the air as he sped away. Using his newfound burst of speed, Herman practically materialized in front of Gaine, and with that advantage on his side, the Fish-Man clamped both his claws around Theo's thick, meaty arms tightly, immobilizing the cannibal's limbs.

"HEY! LET GO YOU FREAK!"

"Try and make me, fatass," Herman lifted his body off the ground a little and a few moments later, he rammed a number of his pointed legs into his enemy's body. Theo roared in pain as the legs pierced his fatty flesh, but Herman didn't seem to hear him at all. Instead, with his legs inside the cannibal and his claws holding his arms, Herman used his two non-clawed hands to begin punching the living crap out of his target! This time was different than before, however, with the change his body had just gone through, Herman had not only gained size, speed and a new appearance, but he was now stronger than ever, his legs and his arms thicker with more muscle. With every punch the Fish-Man landed, Theo's head snapped from side to side, sending more blood and more metal bits everywhere! The punishment didn't stop there, Herman's claws dug deeper and deeper into his arms, breaking the flesh and letting thick, red blood run down their sides. His feet had a greater effect though, they were in there pretty good.

"I've had enough of this island...," Herman threw a hard left, "...I've had enough of your crew...," he threw a hard right, "...and I'm really sick of you, Gaine!" he clasped both hands and brought them down hard onto Theo's head, "You don't deserve to call yourself a chef, you're nothing more than a bloodthirsty butcher who loves to spread pain and hurt!"

Gaine's head lolled back and forth, his eyes either swollen or bugging out of a socket, ready to actually fall out. His mouth was bleeding like crazy now, pieces of metal stuck inside his huge maw while his fat tongue hung from between his jaws. Disgusted with the vermin he had been wailing on, Herman pulled his feet free from the fat and unclenched his claws. Looking at the monster before him, Herman grew even more sickened. He was a man, no an animal, who fed on the flesh of anything, his face bleeding and horribly bruised, his arms bleeding from deep tears in the tissue and his body riddled with holes that bled almost as badly as the rest of him did.

A glint of light from off to the side made Herman turn an eyestalk. There, in the mud, was the over-sized meat tenderizer Theo had used against him. Grinning, Herman moved swiftly, picking up the large meat tenderizer, then moved just as swiftly back to the dazed and beaten foe. Gripping the tool with his free hands, Herman raised it high into the air, staring straight at Gaine.

"This is for Axe...!"

The meat tenderizer came down quick and hard, and the sound of a sickening crunch echoed in the air around him, followed by a loud THUD and the shaking of trees. Herman threw the bloodied tenderizer away and looked down at the defeated member of Kairi's crew, his head in worse shape than before. Still, despite his injuries, he was still alive, Herman could see him breathing!

"You gotta be kidding me...you're not dead yet?" Herman sighed and shook his head, "I shouldn't complain though, I managed to actually bring him down. Hard as hell, though. Still, not done yet...," he positioned himself to stand over the cannibal's huge gut. Raising a claw, Herman took a deep breath and plunged it deep into the fat waistline. With the new and improved toughness and sharpness of his claw, he was actually able to pierce the flesh. A foul stench erupted into the air and invaded the Fish-Man's nose. Holding back the urge to vomit, Herman continued to dig around inside. The incision he made grew larger as he reached in with his other arms.

"C'mon, where are ya...c'mon, I can't take much more of this!" Herman kept fighting back his vomit until he felt something, "This had _better_ be you!"

A short time later, Herman had managed to not only find the missing Tenryuubito, but he managed to pull him out of Theo's stomach. The blonde doctor gasped for air as he was pulled to his freedom, every single inch of him covered with the innards of the cannibal. He was literally dripping blood and guts of various things, needless to say he had a really hard time cleaning his glasses, which had luckily survived the ingestion.

"Thanks...big guy...," he panted, flinging the gore from his spectacles before putting them over his eyes, "Look...what just happened here...stays between the two of us, alright?" he slowly rose to his feet, "I'd _really_ prefer that we keep this...to ourselves!"

"Whatever,"

Isaac, with a somewhat cleaner pair of glasses, turned to properly thank the Fish-Man, but when he saw what he had now turned into, he nearly crapped himself!

"What the HELL happened to you?!"

* * *

**Kilnorc: Yeah, I'm gonna end this here. I deeply apologize for not updating in SO long, but I had this writer's contest, which I didn't even win, and some other stuff came along like my novel project and everything. I felt kinda bad for leaving this hanging for so long, same with my Halloween fanfic, which I'm afraid I won't be able to finish on time. In hope of making it up to you guys, I finished this. I had help with this from my friend Dragon's-Maidens, who wrote a fair share of this chapter herself, because she seemed really enthusiastic about doing this chapter in particular to try and help me out. Props also go to SuperHurricane, who gave me some help with Herman's new power/appearance (it's been awhile and I need my notes...lol). So, thanks to you, DM and SH, I owe you one!**

**I would also like to apologize if this chapter seemed off, it's been QUITE a while since I last worked on this, but I hope I made it well enough for you all to enjoy. Not sure when the next update on this or Origins will be, I'm still doing my novel project, so it's touch and go, but keep an eye out for 'em anyway, you never know when they'll pop up!**

**On the next chapter of Endless Nightmare...**

**Isaac: OH DEAR GOD, WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING DOING HERE?!  
**

**Tommy: Dammit! I should have been able to help her...I should have done something!**

**Darci: It's not much, given the materials, but it's better than nothing.**

**Ken: Tell us about yourself, senor Horn.**

**A Gunfighter's Tale Part One  
**

**Ayame: Guys...there's something out there in those woods!**


	32. A Gunfighter's Tale Part One

**A Gunfighter's Tale Part One**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece. Crazy-Fishie owns Taeko and Isaac, Shidyk D. Shade owns Jinko, and Malchior's group belongs to Malchior Draco**

**Kilnorc: I saw the latest episode of One Piece and decided to work on this! Funny how that works! Oh, couldn't find a quote for this chapter, sorry folks!  
**

* * *

"So...uh...what uh...?"

"...just spit it out, Tenryuubito,"

"Well," Isaac rubbed the back of his head as he rode on Herman's transformed back, taking the opportunity to rest and recuperate from his ordeal with Gaine, "Okay, I'll say it: what the HELL is all _this_?"

"The lobster and even crab people among my race can-,"

"Not just that, but about what happened back there," Isaac cut him off, "I thought you didn't care about what could happen to me because of my...history,"

The lobster Fish-Man sighed as he quickly moved through the dark, muddy and now foggy terrain of the Ghost Island, "I...look, I'm sorry about how I acted before. I have a very, very, _very_ bad history with the Tenryuubito, hell, everyone in my race does. They all may have different parts in life, and they may live in different places of the world, but if they knew even a fraction of what those bastards have done to us in history's timeline, they would hate them as well. Although, probably not as much,"

Isaac was silent for a few moments, "What is your history, Herman? Not your race's history, but what is _your_ history with them, Herman?"

"...I'd rather not talk about this right now, Ten...Isaac," Herman quickly said, "That's one horror tale that we don't need to know right now. What we need to do right now is get our strength back up, regroup with the others, and then save my nakama from their dismal fate," he turned an eyestalk around to face the pirate, "How badly are you injured?"

The blonde smirked and gave a weak thumb's up, "I've been through worse, but I am really worn out, I lost a lot of my ki energy back there, I need to rest and maybe get some food in my belly before I'm back at fighting capabilities,"

"...you really want to eat food after what you've just been through?"

"Shaddup," Isaac's eyebrow twitched, "You remind me of Taeko, for God's sake...," he let out a yawn, his eyes getting heavy, "We need to find a safe place to rest...,"

"I'll find one," Herman moved his stalk back around, "You can sleep back there, my body's now large enough to accommodate you. When I find a safe place, I'll let you know and then we can figure out our next piece of strategy from there. Sound good, Isaac?"

No answer.

"Isaac?" Herman looked back once more, but saw that Isaac was completely passed out, face up on the lobster's back, his arms and legs dangling on both sides of his shell. Herman couldn't help but shake his head and grin, even if it was just a little one, "Kids...,"

_To be honest, I'm not quite sure myself why I went and did what I did. I mean, yes, I had to fight Gaine to help our fight with Kairi's crewmates, and yes, he was a horrible person who deserved to get his ass handed to him, especially after eating someone, but...his victim was a Tenryuubito, one of the people in the world who make the lives of my people a living hell, and I went and saved him from a horrible death. I could have just walked away, I could have just let him suffocate inside that fatass' gut, let him digest in there...but I didn't. Why? I mean, it'd be one less Tenryuubito left in this world and all, but... _Herman sighed deeply and shook his head, _I've seen him, he's certainly not like the other Tenryuubito in the world, he's actually a decent person. I really should give him benefit of the doubt..._ the lobsterman realized how much trouble he had gone through getting close to people just because of his race's reputation,_ Perhaps, the people of the Tenryuubito and the people of the Fish-Men aren't quite so different after all?_

Herman couldn't help but chuckle a little bit when he thought about that particular thing. His mind drifted around and around in his head, going from topic to topic. He was still worried about his friends, Devon and the others, and then there was Axe and Azu, and he was also worried about what they'd have to fight in order to survive and escape off this island. With the Bloodless Vampires, they had taken out a giant plant and all, and he had just defeated a humongous fatass with a hunger for flesh and a thirst for blood, one who was definitely way stronger than a normal person, so at least one major player was taken out. Hopefully, that would end up helping the others in some small way.

_That fatass back there sure put up one helluva fight_, the Lobsterman mused, _I was actually able to not only discover this form, which I had only heard about in stories, but I was able to take that fatass down and save the guy on my back. I had to beat the living shit out of the fatass and cut open his stomach to do it, but still...somehow, even though I was able to save Isaac and give the enemy a casualty, I get the feeling that that won't be the last time I see Gaine anytime soon. He's a vessel of evil, and from what I've learned in my life is that evil has many forms and that it **never** dies._

A sound came from the dark forest around him, causing Herman to come to a halt. The lobsterman immediately went on the defensive, holding up both claws and both hands, stalks darting back and forth, trying to locate the source of the noise.

There it was again! Closer this time! There was something familiar about the sound, but Herman couldn't quite place it.

"If you think you can sneak up on me, you can forget it!" Herman said evenly, eyestalks rotating to make sure no one actually did sneak up on him or Isaac, "I've already taken down a member of those Bloodless Vampires, but I got plenty of fight left in me, so if you wanna try your luck, you're more than welcome to!"

The sound came a third time, more clearly this time. It was the sound of wings flapping and before Herman can go into full-fledged battle mode, the owner of the sound came fluttering into view by landing onto a low tree branch just ahead of him. It was a bird, a macaw to be more precise, one that Herman had seen more often than once before coming here.

Herman let out a sigh of relief, "Jack...!"

The macaw flapped his wings a little, "Yeah, nice to see you too, Red man...," he stared at Herman for a moment, "You look...different,"

"Don't ask," Herman relaxed and waved a hand, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"We got seperated from the group and-,"

"We?"

"Jean and I," the macaw explained, waving one of his wings, as if giving a signal of some kind. Moments later, a young, white tiger cub came slowly out of the foilage. Despite it's size and age, it looked like it was ready to fight and tear into someone. Jack lowered his wing after the cub came into view, "Like I said, we got lost from the others, and we're trying to regroup and all. What's your deal?"

"About the same," Herman gave a nod, "You guys have any trouble here?"

Jack seemed to rub his beak with a wing, "That depends, does facing off against resurrected dead people and other monsters from the nightmares of one's mind count as trouble?"

Herman stared at him for a bit, then nodded.

"In that case, yeah, we've had our share," Jack flapped his wings and flew off the branch, now taking up residence on Herman's shoulder while Jean the tiger cub leapt up onto his back, "If you don't mind, we're going to stick with you, Red! Chances are most things wouldn't want to mess with someone like you at the moment, and we'd rather not get into trouble, so we're sticking around, hope that's cool!"

Herman rolled his eyestalks, "Why not? The more the merrier, I suppose. Oh, by the way, you see the blonde guy back there?"

Jack craned his neck around to see Isaac, "Yeah? What about him?"

"Go wake him up for me?"

"Sure, why not?" Jack hopped down off Herman's shoulder and landed on Isaac's chest. The macaw tilted his head from side to side, trying to figure out a delicate way to wake this person up, but in the end, he resorted to pecking him on the forehead...a classic maneuver.

Herman began to mentally count the numbers down, _Five...four...three...two...one...!_

"OH DEAR GOD, WHAT THE HELL IS _THAT_ THING DOING HERE?!" Isaac shrieked at the top of his lungs.

"Now, that's just rude!" Jack snapped at the freaked Tenryuubito, "The hell is your problem?!"

Herman just laughed.

* * *

It felt like hours since Niri was abducted by the enemy, perhaps it was, it was nearly impossible to tell time here on the island at the moment. Tommy felt a heavy burden of guilt and remorse weighing down on his shoulders, it had come the second she was taken, but it was still with him. Five years ago, he had sworn his life to protect Axe for everything he had done for him, and he failed to do that years later. Now, he had been given a chance to redeem himself, but already he wasn't off to a great start. Niri was a friend and companion to Axe, his captain from another life, and since she was not only important to him, but willing to go through hell to save him from the evil that was his former First Mate, Tommy knew he had to be with and protect her. But...he failed to do that.

"DAMMIT!" Tommy swore, punching a nearby tree so hard, he made a large enough hole to engulf his hand, "I should have been able to help her...I should have done something!"

Ken watched from a fair distance, unsure of what he could do to console the upset gunfighter. Hearing footsteps from behind, Ken turned to see one of his own nakama approaching him. It was Darci. He turned to her, "Something wrong?" he asked quietly.

Darci shook her head, "No, but I made a shelter for all of us. We all could use a rest, even a short one, but since we're not blessed with a pre-constructed break house here on the island of the damned, I made one," she leaned to the side, looking at Tommy, who was still punching the very same tree, making more and more holes, "Stupid question, but he alright?"

Ken sighed, "No, he is not, and I don't blame him...,"

* * *

"Wolfboy! Got a minute?"

Toby growled and turned his head to Perona, who was floating upside down in mid-air, "What do you want, Ghost Princess?"

Perona began to turn around and around, "You didn't hear? More of you guys keep getting their asses handed to them!"

The lycanthrope raised an eyebrow, "Go on...,"

"Oh, where to start, where to start?" Perona giggled, "The birdman of the World Government got torn apart, fell from the sky and got himself impaled on an iron spike and then he got hit by lightning! I checked out the area, and I swear, it smells just like fried chicken!"

"...is he-?"

"Nah," Perona shook her head, "He's still alive, he's being treated by your doctor with the fatass,"

"Gaine?" Toby blinked, "What happened to Theodore?"

"Oh, this is a juicy bit!" Perona stopped spinning and turned straight upward, looking down at him, still smiling, "He's all messed up! Ever more than birdboy! His face is all beaten in, he lost all his metal teeth, he's got huge cuts and someone literally tore open his stomach!" she let out a loud cackle that echoed around them, "How the hell he's still alive is beyond me!"

"You'd be surprised what the people of this crew are capable of," Toby said smoothly, "Is my captain aware of this news?"

"Not yet," Perona shrugged idly, "I was on my way to tell her when I found you. Good news, though!"

"What now?"

"We managed to catch some more of those guys kicking your asses,"

"Come again?"

"It's true! The mute boy that gave your brat of a cabin boy one hell of a pounding got knocked out by one of our new zombie recruits! Not to mention, some of the zombies outside dragged in that fox Zoan on Axe's crew!"

Toby's brows narrowed, _We lose two more, and we not only re-capture one of the escapees, but we bag a new one..._ he chewed on his tongue a little bit, "Where are they being detained?"

"Doctor Hogback is patching them up, but I heard that we might let Stitches have his fun with them and-,"

"No," Toby cut her off, "Tell your zombies that once the boy and the kitsune are in stable condition, they are to be taken to our ship and held there. Also, nothing is to happen to them! They're more valuable to us alive than dead, and they're already in questionable condition, I don't want anything else to happen to them!"

With that, Toby turned on his heel and quickly made his way down the corridor, leaving the Ghost Princess behind him, floating in mid-air with a dumbstruck look on her face. A few seconds later, she puffed out her cheeks, flipped him the bird and flew into the ceiling above her, disappearing from sight. The lycanthrope pirate kept making his way through the mansion, the events running through his head, until a scent reached his nose. Coming to a halt, he took a couple more sniffs.

_I was wondering where **she** was hiding..._ he began to move again, his sight focused on the end of the hallways ahead of him. A short distance behind him, a head of fiery red hair appeared from around a corner and a pair of almond colored eyes stared at the lycanthrope's retreating back.

_So much for the heightened senses of a wolf..._ Chizuru thought to herself, scowling a little, _Perhaps there's something in the air that's affecting him? If so, perhaps it's also affecting my mental powers?_ she pulled back behind the corner, chewing on a thumbnail, _I've been going off and on with my abilities, I have no idea how to explain it, but I have heard stories about things that float around in the air that could cause one's senses to be drastically hindered. With an island like this, I wouldn't be surprised of anything at the moment. Well, no time to worry about it now, I have to find the others..._

* * *

"It's not much, but given the materials, it's better than nothing," Darci gave a loud sigh as she and the others in the group settled into a large, rundown shack of sorts that she had put up in the forest. It wasn't the best shack, the walls and roof were constructed out of poor materials, mostly dead, rotting wood and there were scraps of random things thrown about the shack, as if they were some kind of furniture. The others talked amongst themselves while Tommy and his friend Hyde went to a part to themselves.

Hyde slid down against the wall of the shack and looked at the other group of pirates, "This place sure has gotten busy lately...," he cast a side-glance at Tommy, who was holding his rifle close to him, his upper face hidden by the brim of his hat, "Don't beat yourself up, man, shit happens,"

Tommy remained quiet.

"Look, I know there are some sick freaks on this island, but think about it: from what you told me, these guys have issues with your old captain, Axe, right? That Niri girl's a part of his new crew, so if they really want to mess around with his new group and himself, then I really doubt they'd kill her right away,"

Tommy turned his head slightly to him, his left eye peeking out from under the hat, "You so sure about that?"

"Pretty sure, yeah," Hyde nodded and shrugged a little, "Really, aside from being killed, the worst case scenario she can be involved with is being brutally tortured so much that she wishes for a swift death,"

Tommy glared at him, "Gee, thanks, you make this so much easier to deal with,"

"Hey, I do what I can,"

"Excuse me, senor?"

Tommy lifted his head and looked ahead to see Ken and the others in the group looking at him and his...accomplice, "What is it, kid?"

Ken slowly approached him, "I, we, are aware of the pain you are feeling right now. Believe us, we do, we've been there, so we would like to offer any services we can to help you,"

The gunfighter scoffed, "Great, just what I need...,"

The other gunman cleared his throat, ignoring the sarcastic remark, "Perhaps...it may help if you talk about something else? Tell us about yourself, senor Horn,"

Tommy stared at them all, Ken in particular, "It's not a pretty story, kiddies,"

"Ha!" it was Ken's turn to scoff, "Who ever has a pretty story nowadays?"

The former bounty hunter sighed and scratched his chin before removing his hat, "Alright, don't say I didn't warn you, though. My story starts five years ago, in the South Blue. I belonged to a relatively well-known clan of bounty hunters who lived on an island known as Damzen. Our family has lived there for generations, doing what we can to survive in the harsh world. We hunted down criminals, we did odd jobs, we did bodyguard work-,"

"Sounds like you guys were more like mercenaries than bounty hunters," Darci interjected.

Tommy chuckled, "Yeah, I suppose we do...did. True, we did more than just hunt, but that was our prime source of income. Before I became a pirate on Axe's crew, I was just a kid, much like yourselves," he nodded to the group, "I thought I knew everything about the world, but I didn't know jack shit. When I first met Axe, he had a nice sized bounty on his head, and he was only fourteen years old, can you believe that?"

"An eight year old girl gets a huge bounty on her head and goes on the run for twenty years, but yeah, we're really impressed with the fact that Axe had a bounty at fourteen,"

"Ayame, shh!"

Tommy ignored the interruption, "As a bounty hunter, I was raised to believe certain things. Like, those who had bounties on their heads deserved to have those, those who had bounties were bad people, all that crap. I wanted to take Axe in the second I saw his poster, but the clan was ordered by the elders not to do anything just yet. Besides, we were busy dealing with another problem on the island. There was a crime boss living on our island, a boss by the name of Don Diablo, who was doing whatever was possible to control the island and take away the richest resource we had. You see, our island was home to one of the largest deposits and mining operations around, it had a huge amount of raw gold veins in the rock below the earth. Diablo wanted that for personal gain, but as people who were building a reputation of our own, Diablo saw us as threats and through an act of deceit, we were all wiped out...almost,"

"Almost?" Ken questioned, "Who survived? Aside from you, I mean?"

"No one," Tommy shook his head, "I was the only one who lived in the massacre. I would have died, I was wanting to die, but Axe and his crew came to my rescue," he shook his head slightly, a strange grin forming on his face, "You guys have any idea what it's like...living and working as someone who takes in criminals on almost a daily basis, only to get saved by criminals? Talk about ironic...," he sighed, "At first, I hated Axe for saving me, and I even asked him why he did it, and you know what he said?"

Everyone else shook their heads.

"He said that he couldn't just let a nice guy like me die like an animal," Tommy said slowly, "Or some shit like that, it's been so long and so much has happened,"

Ken tilted his head, "What happened after he saved you, senor? What happened to this...Don Diablo?"

"Oh, well that's a nice turn of events," the grin spread across his face, obviously it was a rather enjoyable memory, "I went off to take care of the Don and everyone involved, but Axe and his crew came with me. The whole ordeal was a pain in the ass, but in the end, I managed to avenge my family and free my island from the Don's grip,"

"So, it was a happy ending," Ayame observed.

Tommy clicked his tongue, "Well, it started out like that, kid. You see, shortly after we took out the Don, the Government came to the island, wanting to know what had happened to the gold mine. They were informed of what had happened, but even with the 'heroic' actions of yours truly, they weren't that grateful. They put a bounty on my head and I became what I had spent so long hunting. There was this one Marine, who had approached me shortly after I finished a gun duel with this jackass in the town that I lived near, and he wanted to bring me in. I told him to piss off and began to fight in self defense, but there was something about him. I was healed from the fight with the Don, but the Marine still kicked my ass like crazy. I thought I was gonna die right there, like I thought I was gonna die with my family, but once again, Axe and the others came to my rescue,"

"He saved your life again,"

"Aye, he did," Tommy nodded, "He fought the Marine, and despite his strength and abilities, Axe also had his ass handed to him. Still, he and the others managed to take care of the Marine and retreated back to their ship. There, I was treated for my injuries and afterwards, I came to a decision and made a choice that changed my life forever. My family believes in honor, and that when a debt is made, it should be repaid in full. Axe saved my life twice, and he saved my home from an evil crime boss. Right there, on his ship, I swore an oath to him and his crew. I swore on my life and the lives of my family that I would do everything in my power to protect him while he journeyed out into the world to fulfill his dream of finding One Piece. Guess we all know how that turned out now, huh?"

"Vaguely, senor, vaguely. There is more to the story, isn't there?"

"Well-,"

"I hate to cut story time short, but...," Ayame held up a hand, and pointed to the nearest wall, her ears twitching, "Guys...there's something out there in those woods!"

Within seconds, Tommy was on his feet and heading for the door, his pistol at his side and his rifle in his hands, "This shit never stops, does it?"

"Apparently not, senor Horn," Ken agreed, following behind him, "Everyone else, stay here while we check this out!" he ordered before closing the door behind him and the bounty hunter.

The two gunmen, once outside, began to take a careful perimeter check around the shack, their eyes and ears on full alert for anything out of the ordinary.

Tommy breathed slowly and silently, scanning the dark, wooded area, "Kid, you see anything?" he called out.

"Nothing!" Ken half-shouted back his status, "Keep your eyes peeled though. Ayame's got a fox's senses, so when she says she hears something, she really hears something!"

They circled the shack for a long while, looking all around, but they couldn't find a single thing wrong in the area. The two of them met back in front of the door, unsuccessful in their search.

"Well, whatever she might have heard, it's not around here anymore," Tommy said in a hushed voice, "Keep your wits about you though, boy. Whatever it was, it might have just been passing through, maybe it didn't even notice us, but maybe it's just playing possum,"

As they retreated back into the shack, a figure watched from above, silent as a shadow. A smile formed from a lipless mouth as a forked tongue darted outward and a pair of scaly hands took hold of a large flute.

* * *

**Kilnorc: And that's that chapter! I'm aware that I, once again, repeated Tommy's past when he told Niri in an earlier chapter, but bear with me folks! And no, the cliffhanger at the end doesn't mean another MAJOR fight between good and evil is coming up, although it does mean there's SOMETHING on the way! Mwahaha! I know there are questions abound, but answers are out there folks, they're just hiding!**

**On the next chapter of Endless Nightmare...**

**Hyde: I'm heading out, gonna see what I can dig up out there. Good luck, guys!**

**Eliza: Such fascinating specimens!**

**Tommy: I did some things I'm not proud of to survive when the crew fell apart.**

**???: Welcome, dear guessstsss...  
**

**A Gunfighter's Tale Part Two**

**Tommy: That is one big snake!**


	33. Author's Note

**Author's Note**

**Hello my dear fans and reviewers. It is I, kilnorc, the oh so reclusive creator of this OP series! -bows-**

**I'm sorry that I've been away for so long, I've gotten plenty of messages and reviews, asking about this fic, as I haven't worked on it in so long, and I've answered the questions all the same.**

**The reason I've been away for so long is because I've pulled away from fanfiction for a period of time to pursue serious writing, in hopes of becoming a published author. I got started on this path thanks to a number of people: my sister, my family, but most importantly, my girlfriend. She's been my rock and MAJOR supporter in my dreams to become an actual writer. It's thanks to her I've come as far as I have. I apologize that I haven't written a note or updated my profile page to let you ALL know what I've been doing during this LONG ass hiatus, but as you can imagine, I've been quite busy. I'm very sorry I've left you all in the dark, and to worry about the fate of this series, I didn't mean to scare you all.**

**I would have posted a NOTE on here sooner, but I think I read a rule saying I couldn't and got nervous about what would happen to this story if I had. So, why am I doing it now? Well, that's very simple. I got a review just a short time ago in my e-mail account and it just seriously pissed me off! If you wish to see this review, go to the listing and you'll find it under "GRAVESTONE READS"**

**Yes, I KNOW, I haven't done work, I haven't left a note and I haven't updated my profile and I'm SORRY for that guys, I am. You all have been here for my stories as I've created them from Day One years ago, you've supported me and given me praise. Your love for these stories of mine have been great help when I first began this path in life and at the very least, I owe you an explanation and an apology for making you all worry. After what you've guys done throughout the years, you didn't deserve this spook. So, you know the reason WHY I've done it, now it's time for my apology.**

**-kneels and bows deeply-**

**I am truly, truly, truly sorry that I've scared you all into thinking this story and series have become extinct. I assure you, it is my intention to continue this work, but I won't be able to do it for some time longer. I ask for not only your forgiveness, but for more of your patience. I also ask that if you have any questions, please just ask me in a message or something, instead of just assuming the worst without even bothering to ask me directly before. "Gravestone reads" made that mistake and it seriously pissed me off, but it made me realize what I needed to do; although I can't update quite yet, I could at least give you all faithful readers the reasons why I haven't touched this in years.**

**If you cannot find it in your hearts to forgive me, then I accept it. I've brought it on myself for not considering your feelings, guys. However, if you CAN forgive me, I thank you all from the bottom of my heart and I promise that even if it takes me an eternity, I WILL continue this. I have many things in my head that will help it out, but it must wait.**

**Once again, I'm very sorry and I wish you all the best. I've gotten plenty of reading done: classics, newer things, many great stories that have not only improved my own writing (at least I hope so), but it has given me ideas for this series. Especially with the manga, the whole fishman island arc and history so far is PLENTY good info on that arc!  
**

**Gravestone reads, if you're reading this, I want to tell you that if you have a problem or a question, send me a message man! I can't tell you how close I came to being really immature and childish and polluting this note with foul things directed at you, but I decided against it.**

**-waves- Long days and pleasant nights, everyone!**


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